'community-led' originates from the combination of 'community' and 'led', where 'community' refers to a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common, and 'led' is the past participle of 'lead', meaning to guide or direct.

'community' comes from the Latin word 'communitas', meaning 'common, public, shared by all or many'. 'Led' is the past participle of 'lead', which comes from the Old English 'lædan', meaning 'to guide'.

Initially, 'community-led' meant initiatives or actions guided by a community, and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.