'group-living' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'group' and the present-participle form 'living'. 'Group' comes from French 'groupe' (originally from Italian 'groppo') meaning 'a knot, bunch', and 'living' derives from Old English roots of 'live' (Old English 'libban'/'līfian') meaning 'to be alive'.

'group-living' developed in Modern English by combining the noun 'group' and the verbal adjective 'living'; earlier forms include the two-word phrase 'group living' which later appeared hyphenated as 'group-living' in technical and descriptive usage.

Initially it meant simply 'living in a group' (the literal combination of 'group' + 'living'), and this basic meaning has persisted into current usage as both a noun (the condition/practice) and an attributive adjective.