'hide' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'hȳdan' (also written 'hydan'), where 'hȳd/hyd' meant 'to hide/conceal', and 'seek' originates from Old English 'sēċan', meaning 'to seek/search'.

'hide-and-seek' developed from the literal pairing of the verbs 'hide' and 'seek' used in Middle English phrases; by the early modern period the compound expression 'hide and seek' was used to name the children's game and eventually standardized as the modern English 'hide-and-seek'.

Initially it referred simply to the actions 'to hide' and 'to seek'; over time it became the established name for the children's game and gained a secondary figurative sense describing evasive or elusive behavior.