'gamete-producing' is a compound of English 'gamete' and 'producing'. 'gamete' originates from Greek 'gamētēs' (γαμητής), where the root 'gamos' (γάμος) meant 'marriage' or 'union'. 'produce' (present participle 'producing') originates from Latin 'producere', where the prefix 'pro-' meant 'forward' and 'ducere' meant 'to lead'.

'gamete' was adopted into scientific English in the late 19th century (via New Latin/French 'gamète') from Greek 'gamētēs'; 'produce' entered English via Old French/Latin (Latin 'producere' → Old French 'produire' → Middle English 'producen'), and the present participle form 'producing' formed by regular English verb morphology.

Originally 'gamētēs' in Greek referred to a spouse or one related to marriage; in modern biological usage 'gamete' came to mean a sex cell. 'Produce' originally meant 'to lead or bring forth' (in Latin) and shifted toward the sense 'to make or generate' in later English; thus 'producing' now commonly means 'making or generating'.