'balayeuse' originates from French, specifically the word 'balayer', where 'balai' meant 'broom'.

'balayeuse' changed from Old French formations based on 'balai' (broom) and the agentive suffix '-euse' and eventually became the modern French noun 'balayeuse', later used in technical contexts for machines.

Initially, it meant 'a woman who sweeps' (agent of sweeping), but over time it evolved to include the modern sense of 'a mechanical street or industrial sweeper'.