'drought-sensitive' originates from the combination of 'drought,' which comes from Old English 'drūgath,' meaning 'dryness,' and 'sensitive,' from Latin 'sensitivus,' meaning 'capable of feeling or perceiving.'

'drought' evolved from Old English 'drūgath' to Middle English 'drougth,' and 'sensitive' from Latin 'sensitivus' through Old French 'sensitif.'

Initially, 'drought' meant 'dryness,' and 'sensitive' meant 'capable of feeling,' but together they evolved to describe susceptibility to dry conditions.