'clip-in' originates from English, specifically the verb 'clip' (Old English 'clyppan') plus the preposition 'in' (Old English 'in'), where 'clyppan' meant 'to embrace, seize' and 'in' meant 'in, into'.

'clip' changed from Old English 'clyppan' to Middle English 'clippen' and eventually became the modern English verb 'clip'; the compound form combining 'clip' + 'in' produced expressions like 'clip-in' to describe objects attached by clipping.

Initially, 'clip' meant 'to embrace or seize,' but over time the sense narrowed to 'to fasten or secure (often with a small device)'; the compound 'clip-in' now specifically means 'attached by clipping into place'.