'cheat-prevention' is a compound of 'cheat' and 'prevention'. 'prevention' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praeventio', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'venire' meant 'to come'.

'prevention' passed into English via Old French and Middle English (Old French 'prevention', Medieval Latin 'praeventio') and became the modern English word 'prevention'. 'cheat' appeared in English by the 16th century (from forms like 'cheaten'); its exact origin is uncertain but may relate to Old French forms such as 'escheat' or to vernacular alterations meaning 'to defraud'. The compound 'cheat prevention' is a modern English formation combining the two words.

Initially, the root of 'prevention' carried the sense 'coming before' (literally 'to come before'), but over time in English it evolved to mean 'the act of stopping or hindering (something)'; 'cheat' has meant 'to deceive or defraud' since early modern English, and the compound came to mean actions to stop that behavior.