'often-quoted' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the adverb 'often' and the past participle 'quoted' (from the verb 'quote'). 'often' ultimately comes from Old English 'oft' meaning 'frequently', and 'quote' traces back to Medieval Latin 'quotare' meaning 'to mark the number (of)' via Old French/Middle English.

'often' changed from Old English 'oft' (meaning 'frequently') into the adverbial form 'often' in Middle and Modern English; 'quote' changed from Medieval Latin 'quotare' into Old French/Anglo-Norman forms and then into Middle English 'quote', giving the past participle 'quoted'. The compound adjectival form 'often-quoted' arose in Modern English by combining the adverb and the past participle to describe something that is frequently cited.

Initially, the components meant 'frequently' (often) and 'to cite or mark numerically' (quote); when combined as 'often-quoted' the phrase has long meant 'frequently cited', a meaning that has remained stable in modern usage.