'green-leafed' is a Modern English compound formed from 'green' + 'leaf' with the adjectival suffix '-ed'. 'green' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'grēne', where 'grēne' meant 'green (the color)'; 'leaf' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'lǣf', where 'lǣf' meant 'leaf'.

'green-leafed' developed from older adjective forms such as 'green-leaved' in Early Modern English; the elements 'green' and 'leaf' come from Old English 'grēne' and 'lǣf' and eventually combined into the modern compound adjective 'green-leafed'.

Initially the components meant 'green' and 'leaf' separately; over time the compound came to be used adjectivally to mean 'having green leaves', which is its current meaning.