'areawide' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'area' and 'wide', where 'area' ultimately comes from Latin 'area' meaning 'open space' and 'wide' comes from Old English 'wīd' meaning 'broad, extensive'.

'area' entered English from Latin 'area' via Old French and Middle English; 'wide' derives from Old English 'wīd' (cognate with German 'weit'). The compound appeared as the hyphenated form 'area-wide' in the 20th century and later as the closed form 'areawide'.

Initially the components meant 'open space' and 'broad'; over time the compound developed the current sense of 'covering or extending over an entire area', used especially to describe coverage, impact, or applicability.