'authoritarian-leaning' is a modern English compound formed from 'authoritarian' and the present-participle form 'leaning'. 'authoritarian' originates from French 'autoritaire' (ultimately from Latin 'auctoritas'), where 'auctor-' referred to an 'originator' or 'leader' and 'auctoritas' meant 'authority'; 'leaning' comes from Old English 'hlinian'/'hlēanian' meaning 'to incline' (via Middle English 'lenen'/'lenen' for 'lean').

'authoritarian' developed in English from influences of French 'autoritaire' and Latin 'auctoritas' and came to describe a style of governance centered on authority; 'lean' evolved from Old English 'hlinian' to Middle English forms like 'lenen' and finally modern English 'lean' with the participle 'leaning'. The compound 'authoritarian-leaning' emerged in modern political English (20th century onward) to describe tendencies rather than full characterization.

Initially, roots of 'authoritarian' related to 'authority' and the exercise of commanding power, and 'lean' originally described a physical inclination; over time 'authoritarian' took on the political sense 'favoring strict obedience or centralized control' and 'leaning' came to be used metaphorically for 'inclination' or 'tendency', producing the current combined meaning 'tending toward authoritarianism'.