'credit-reducing' originates from the combination of 'credit' and 'reduce,' where 'credit' refers to the ability to obtain goods or services before payment, and 'reduce' means to make smaller or less in amount.

'credit' and 'reduce' have been used in English since the late Middle Ages, with 'credit' deriving from Latin 'creditum' and 'reduce' from Latin 'reducere.'

Initially, 'credit' referred to trustworthiness in financial matters, while 'reduce' meant to bring back. Over time, 'credit-reducing' evolved to mean decreasing credit availability.