'condensation-prone' is a compound formed from the noun 'condensation' and the adjective 'prone'. 'condensation' ultimately comes from Latin 'condensatio' (from 'condensare' / 'condensus'), where 'con-' meant 'together' and elements related to 'dēnsus/pendere' conveyed 'thick/compact'; 'prone' comes from Latin 'pronus' via Old French, originally meaning 'bent forward.'

'condensation' entered English via Late Latin/Old French (Late Latin 'condensatio' > Old French/Medieval Latin forms > Middle English 'condensation'), while 'prone' was borrowed into Middle English from Old French/Latin ('pronus'). The adjective compound 'condensation-prone' is a modern English formation combining these elements to describe susceptibility to condensation.

Initially, 'condensation' referred broadly to the act or process of making denser; over time it specialized to mean the physical process of vapor turning into liquid (formation of droplets). 'Prone' originally meant 'bent forward' but has shifted to the general sense 'likely to suffer from or do (something)', yielding the current meaning 'likely to develop condensation.'