'biofilm-enhancing' is a modern English compound formed from 'biofilm' + 'enhancing'. 'biofilm' itself is formed from the Greek prefix 'bio-' (from 'bios' meaning 'life') and English 'film' (originally from Old English 'film' meaning 'thin skin' or 'membrane'), while 'enhancing' is the present participle of 'enhance', which comes via Old French 'enhauncer'.

'biofilm' arose in mid-20th-century scientific English as a compound of 'bio-' + 'film'; 'enhance' entered English from Old French 'enhauncer' (via Middle English) and gave the present participle 'enhancing'; these elements were later combined in modern English to form the compound adjective 'biofilm-enhancing'.

Initially 'biofilm' referred simply to a biological film (life + film) and 'enhance' meant 'make higher/better'; over time the compound came to be used specifically in microbiology to mean 'promoting biofilm formation', the narrower current usage.