'mask-wearing' originates from Modern English as a compound of the noun 'mask' and the present participle 'wearing' (from the verb 'wear'). 'mask' ultimately comes into English via Middle French 'masque' and Italian 'maschera', from Medieval Latin 'masca' (meaning 'witch' or 'mask'); 'wear' traces back to Old English 'werian'/'wǣran' meaning 'to put on'.

'mask' entered English from Middle French 'masque' (itself from Italian 'maschera' and Medieval Latin 'masca'), while 'wearing' derives from Old English verbs for putting on clothing; the compound 'mask-wearing' developed in Modern English and became especially common in the 20th–21st centuries (notably during public-health events).

Initially, 'mask' often referred to theatrical or disguise masks and 'wear' simply meant to put on clothing; when combined, the term originally described the literal act of wearing a mask (theatre, disguise) but has since strongly taken on the public-health sense of wearing face masks to reduce disease transmission and as a matter of policy.