'government-endorsed' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'government' and the past participle 'endorsed'. 'Government' ultimately comes from Old French 'governer' (from Latin 'gubernare'), where 'gubernare' meant 'to steer' or 'to direct'. 'Endorse' originates from Old French 'endosser' via Medieval Latin 'indorsare', where the prefix 'in-' meant 'on' and 'dorsum' (back) meant 'back'.

'endorse' changed from Medieval Latin 'indorsare' to Old French 'endosser', then entered Middle English as 'endosen'/'endosen' and later became modern English 'endorse'. 'government' derived from Old French 'governer' and Middle English 'governen', evolving into the modern noun 'government'; the compound 'government-endorsed' is a modern English formation combining the noun and past participle to form an adjective.

Initially, 'endorse' literally meant 'to write on the back (of a document)' and 'government' referred to the act of governing; over time 'endorse' developed the figurative meaning 'to approve or support', and the compound 'government-endorsed' came to mean 'approved or supported by the government'.