'many-leaved' originates from Old English elements: 'manig' meaning 'many' and 'lēaf' meaning 'leaf', combined with the adjectival suffix '-ed' to form 'leafed' (having leaves).

'many' comes from Old English 'manig' and 'leaf' from Old English 'lēaf'; compounds describing plant characteristics (e.g., 'many-leaved') were formed in Middle English and the modern hyphenated form 'many-leaved' appears in later English usage.

Initially it meant 'having many leaves' in descriptions of plants, and this basic meaning has remained essentially unchanged into modern usage.