'nicotine-inhibiting' is a compound formed from 'nicotine' and the present participle of 'inhibit'. 'Nicotine' originates from French 'nicotine' (from the name Jean Nicot, associated with tobacco), and 'inhibit' comes from Latin 'inhibēre' where 'in-' meant 'in, on' and 'habēre' meant 'to hold'.

'nicotine' entered English in the 17th century from French 'nicotine' (named after Jean Nicot's introduction of tobacco to France). 'Inhibit' entered English via Latin 'inhibēre' through Old French/Medieval Latin and Middle English, with the sense of 'to hold back' developing into the modern meaning 'to restrain or prevent'. The compound form combines these modern elements to describe something that restrains nicotine's action.

Initially, 'inhibit' meant 'to hold in or back' in Latin; over time it came to mean 'to restrain, stop, or reduce' in English. 'Nicotine' originally designated the alkaloid from tobacco named after Jean Nicot; its referent has remained the same. The compound now specifically denotes an agent or property that reduces or blocks nicotine's effects.