'clog-prone' originates from Modern English, specifically the words 'clog' and 'prone', where 'clog' meant 'a block or obstruction' and 'prone' meant 'inclined toward'.

'clog-prone' formed as a compound in Modern English from 'clog' (from Middle English 'clogge', originally referring to a block or wooden shoe) and 'prone' (from Latin 'pronus' via Old/Middle English), eventually becoming the descriptive adjective 'clog-prone'.

Initially, 'clog' often referred to a wooden shoe or a hard block, but its extended sense of 'obstruction' developed over time; combined with 'prone' the compound came to mean 'liable to become obstructed'.