'leaved' originates from English, formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ed' to the noun 'leaf' (Old English 'lēaf' / 'lǣf'), where the root meant 'leaf'. It is also historically attested as a regularized past form of the verb 'leave' (from Old English 'lǣfan').

'leaf' comes from Old English 'lēaf' (or 'lǣf'), from Proto-Germanic '*laubaz', and developed into Modern English 'leaf'; attaching '-ed' produced adjectives like 'broad-leaved'. Separately, the verb 'leave' comes from Old English 'lǣfan', which in Middle English produced various regular and irregular past forms; occasionally a regular past form 'leaved' appeared in some dialects or older texts, though 'left' became the standard past.

Initially related words meant 'leaf' (the plant structure) or 'to leave/let remain' for the verb; over time the adjective sense 'having leaves' (formed from 'leaf' + '-ed') became the productive modern use, while the past-tense sense as 'leaved' became archaic or rare, supplanted by the irregular 'left'.