'lymphocyte-responsive' is a modern English compound formed by combining 'lymphocyte' and 'responsive'. 'lymphocyte' originates from Neo-Latin 'lymphocytus', ultimately from Latin 'lympha' (meaning 'water') and Greek 'kytos' (meaning 'cell'); 'responsive' derives from Latin 'respondēre' via Old French (e.g. 'responsif') meaning 'to answer' or 'to respond'.

'lymphocyte' developed in scientific Neo-Latin usage in the 19th century from Latin 'lympha' + Greek 'kytos' and became the English term 'lymphocyte'; 'responsive' came from Latin 'respondēre' → Old French 'responsif' → Middle/Modern English 'responsive'. The compound usage (modifier + responsive) is a modern English formation used in biomedical contexts.

Originally the parts meant 'water' (lympha) and 'cell' (kytos) so 'lymphocyte' designated a particular kind of cell; 'responsive' initially meant 'answering' or 'giving a response.' Over time the compound came to mean specifically 'capable of producing or showing a lymphocyte-mediated response' in immunology.