'gender-specific' originates from the combination of 'gender' and 'specific', where 'gender' refers to the state of being male or female, and 'specific' means clearly defined or identified.

'gender' comes from the Old French 'gendre', which was derived from Latin 'genus', meaning 'kind' or 'type'. 'Specific' comes from Latin 'specificus', meaning 'pertaining to a species'.

Initially, 'gender-specific' meant 'pertaining to a particular gender', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.