'function-driven' is a compound of 'function' + 'driven'. 'function' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'functio', where the root 'fungi' meant 'to perform'; 'driven' is the past participle of 'drive', which traces to Old English 'drīfan' meaning 'to drive, force'.

'function' passed from Latin 'functio' into Old French (e.g. 'fonction') and Middle English (e.g. 'functioun') before becoming modern English 'function'. 'drive' comes from Old English 'drīfan' and developed into Middle English 'drīven' and modern 'drive' with the past participle 'driven'. The compound 'function-driven' is a modern English formation combining these elements to describe something governed by function.

Individually, 'function' originally meant 'the act of performing' and 'drive/driven' meant 'to push or propel'; combined in modern English the compound came to mean 'guided or determined by functional requirements', a shift toward describing design and priorities rather than physical motion.