'hue-changing' originates from Modern English compounding of 'hue' and the present participle 'changing' (from the verb 'change'), where 'hue' meant 'color' and 'change' meant 'to make different or to alter'.

'hue' comes from Old English 'hiw' meaning 'color, appearance' (from Proto-Germanic *hiwaz); 'change' comes into English via Old French 'changier', ultimately from Late Latin 'cambiare' meaning 'to exchange'. These elements combined in Modern English to form compound descriptors such as 'hue-changing'.

Initially, 'hue' meant 'color/appearance' and 'change' meant 'to exchange or alter'; over time their combination came to denote specifically 'changing color' rather than any general exchange.