'connate-perfoliate' originates from New Latin/botanical formation, specifically combining 'connate' (from Latin 'connatus') and 'perfoliate' (from Latin 'perfoliatus'), where 'con-' (or 'com-') meant 'together' and 'per-' meant 'through'.

'connate' comes from Latin 'connatus' (past participle of 'connasci'/'con-' + 'nasci' meaning 'born together'), while 'perfoliate' comes via Medieval/Neo-Latin 'perfoliatus' (from Latin 'per-' + 'folium' meaning 'leaf'); the compound hyphenated form arose in botanical English to describe leaves that are both connate at the base and appear perfoliate.

Initially, the Latin roots referred separately to 'born together' (connatus) and 'leaf through' (perfoliatus); over time these meanings combined in botanical usage to describe leaves whose bases are fused so they appear pierced by the stem.