'estrogen-blocking' originates from Modern English, combining the element 'estrogen' (from New Latin 'oestrogen', ultimately from Greek 'oistros' where 'oistros' meant 'gadfly' or 'frenzy', plus the suffix '-gen' from Greek 'gennan' meaning 'to produce') and 'blocking' (from the verb 'block', from Middle Dutch or Old French 'bloc' meaning 'log or block', with the English gerund/participle suffix '-ing').

'estrogen' was coined in English in the early 20th century (from New Latin 'oestrogen') to name the hormone associated with estrus; 'block' evolved from Middle English 'blocken' (from a Germanic/Old French root referring to a block or log) and developed into the modern verb 'block', with '-ing' forming the present participle/gerund; these elements combined in Modern English to form the compound 'estrogen-blocking'.

Initially, the root 'oistros' conveyed ideas of 'gadfly' or intense drive, but the coined scientific term 'estrogen' came to name a hormone regulating sexual cycles; 'block' originally referred to a physical block or log and broadened to mean 'to obstruct or prevent', so 'estrogen-blocking' now means 'preventing or inhibiting estrogen action or production'.