'disproportionately-assigned' originates from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'not' and 'proportionate' from Latin 'proportio' meaning 'relation of parts'. 'Assign' comes from Latin 'assignare', meaning 'to mark out'.

'disproportionately' evolved from 'disproportionate', which was used in Middle English as 'disproporcionat'. 'Assign' has remained relatively unchanged since its Latin origins.

Initially, 'disproportionate' meant 'not in proportion', and 'assign' meant 'to allocate'. The combined term retains these meanings in modern usage.