'human-specific' is a modern English compound formed from the adjective 'human' and the adjective 'specific'. 'human' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'humanus', where the root 'human-' meant 'of human beings'; 'specific' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'specificus' (from 'species'), where 'speci-' meant 'appearance, kind'.

'human' came into English via Old French 'humain' from Latin 'humanus', and 'specific' comes from Latin 'specificus' (from 'species'); in modern English the two elements were joined to form the compound adjective 'human-specific' used in scientific and descriptive contexts.

Initially, 'human' meant 'of or relating to humans' and 'specific' meant 'of a particular kind (species)'; when combined as 'human-specific' the meaning became 'restricted to humans', a specialized descriptive term that has remained stable.