'controlled-release' originates from Modern English, formed by combining 'controlled' (the past participle of 'control') and 'release'. 'control' ultimately comes from Old French/Medieval Latin (see below) and 'release' comes from Old French 'releser' (from Latin 'relaxare'), where 're-' meant 'back' and 'laxare' meant 'to loosen'.

'control' developed from Old French/Medieval Latin elements such as 'contreroller' / 'contrarotulare' (literally 'check against a roll') into Middle English 'countre-rollen' and later 'control'; 'controlled' is the past participle form. 'release' changed from Old French 'releser' (from Latin 'relaxare') into Middle English 'relesen' and eventually modern English 'release'. These two words were combined in modern English to form the compound adjective/noun 'controlled-release'.

Individually, 'release' initially meant 'to loosen' or 'set free', and 'control' originally meant 'to check or regulate (literally against a roll)'; over time their senses broadened. The compound 'controlled-release' evolved in technical usage (especially 20th-century pharmaceuticals) to mean 'a deliberately regulated, gradual release' and retains that specialized modern meaning.