'interconnect' originates from Latin via the prefix 'inter-' meaning 'between, among' combined with 'connect', which comes from Latin 'connectere' (con- 'together' + nectere 'to bind').

'connect' comes from Latin 'connectere', passed into Old French and Middle English as 'connecten'/'connect', and the compound 'interconnect' arose in modern English (notably in technical contexts) by adding the Latinate prefix 'inter-'.

Initially the elements meant 'bind together' (from 'nectere') and 'between' (from 'inter'); over time the combined form came to mean 'to link or join things together so they functionally relate', a usage that has remained largely consistent, especially in technical and network contexts.