'current-driven' is a compound of 'current' and 'driven'. 'current' originates from Latin, specifically the present participle 'currens' (from 'currere' meaning 'to run'), transmitted into English via Old French/Middle English. 'driven' is the past participle of the verb 'drive', from Old English 'drīfan'.

'current' developed from Latin 'currens' → Old French/Middle English forms → modern English 'current'; 'driven' comes from Old English 'drīfan' (verb) with its past participle 'driven' preserved into Middle and Modern English. The two were later joined as a compound adjective in Modern English to form 'current-driven'.

Initially, 'current' literally meant 'running' (flow) and 'driven' meant 'forced to move'; over time their combination came to mean 'powered or caused by an electrical current' in technical contexts.