'meat-averse' is a modern compound formed from the noun 'meat' and the adjective 'averse'. 'Meat' comes from Old English 'mete' meaning 'food', and 'averse' comes ultimately from Latin 'aversus' (past participle of 'avertere') meaning 'turned away from'.

The element 'meat' derives from Old English 'mete' ('food') and evolved in Middle English to 'meat' with the more specific sense of 'animal flesh eaten as food'. 'Averse' entered English via Anglo-French/Latin from Latin 'aversus' (from 'avertere' 'to turn away'), passing into Middle English and Early Modern English as 'averse'. The compound 'meat-averse' is a recent English formation combining these elements to describe an attitude toward meat.

Individually, 'meat' originally meant 'food' in general but narrowed to 'animal flesh eaten as food'; 'averse' originally meant 'turned away' and retained the sense of strong dislike or opposition. Combined, 'meat-averse' simply means 'turned away from (or opposed to) eating meat', a recent descriptive coinage.