'moisture-retentive' originates from modern English as a compound of 'moisture' and 'retentive'; 'moisture' comes from Middle English (from Old French forms of 'moist'), where 'moist' meant 'slightly wet', and 'retentive' ultimately comes from Latin 'retentivus' (from 'retinēre') where the root 'tenēre' meant 'to hold'.

'moisture' developed from Old French (e.g. moiste/moist) into Middle English 'moisture' and into modern English as 'moisture'. 'Retentive' comes from Latin 'retinēre' (re- + tenēre), passed into Medieval/Modern Latin as 'retentivus' and then into English as 'retentive'; the two elements were later combined in modern English to form the compound 'moisture-retentive'.

Initially the compound literally meant 'capable of holding moisture'; over time this core meaning has remained stable and is still used to describe materials or soils that retain water.