'cross-woven' originates from a compound of English words 'cross' and 'woven'. 'cross' originates from Old English 'cros' (borrowed via Old Norse 'kross' from Latin 'crux'), where it meant 'cross'; 'woven' comes from Old English 'wefan' (past participle forms from 'wefan'/'wefen'), where it meant 'to weave'.

'cross-woven' developed as a compound in Middle and Modern English by combining 'cross' + past participle of 'weave' (Old English 'wefan' → Middle English 'weven'/'weven' → past forms like 'woven'), yielding the modern compound 'cross-woven'.

Initially the elements meant simply 'cross' and 'to weave', and over time the compound came to be used specifically for fabrics or structures 'woven with crossing threads' or for describing the result of having been woven in a crossing manner.