'jam-resistant' originates from modern English as a compound of the noun 'jam' and the adjective 'resistant'. 'jam' originates from English (late 18th–19th century) in senses related to 'squeezing' or 'a blockage' (of uncertain/imitative origin), and 'resistant' originates from French/Latin, specifically from Latin 'resistere' via Old French/Modern French 'résister', where 'resistere' meant 'to stand back' or 'to oppose'.

'resistant' changed from Latin 'resistere' to Old French (or Medieval French) 'resister' and then to Modern English 'resistant'; the compound 'jam-resistant' is a 20th-century English formation used in technical and product descriptions to denote resistance to 'jam' (mechanical blockage or signal jamming).

Initially, 'jam' often meant 'to press or squeeze' (and later a 'blockage'), and 'resistant' originally carried the sense 'standing against' from Latin; over time these combined into the modern compound meaning 'able to withstand jamming or blockage' in mechanical and electronic contexts.