'city-dweller' originates from English, specifically the words 'city' and 'dweller', where 'city' ultimately comes from Latin 'civitas' (via Old French 'cité') meaning 'community of citizens', and 'dweller' is formed from 'dwell' (Old English 'dwellan') meaning 'to remain or reside'.

'city' changed from Latin 'civitas' to Old French 'cité' and entered Middle English as 'city'; 'dwell' comes from Old English 'dwellan' (to remain), and the agentive suffix '-er' produced 'dweller'; the compound 'city-dweller' arose in Modern English by combining these elements.

Initially, 'city' referred to the citizenry or community and 'dwell' meant 'to remain'; together, over time they formed the straightforward modern sense 'a person who lives in a city'.