'credit-building' originates from the combination of 'credit' and 'building', where 'credit' refers to the trustworthiness in financial matters and 'building' implies the act of constructing or developing.

'credit' comes from the Latin word 'creditum', meaning 'a loan or thing entrusted', and 'building' from Old English 'byldan', meaning 'to construct'.

Initially, 'credit' referred to trust in financial transactions, and 'building' meant constructing. Together, they evolved to mean improving financial trustworthiness.