'pale-fruited' originates from the adjective 'pale' (from Latin 'pallidus' via Old French 'pal(e)') combined with the noun 'fruit' (from Latin 'fructus') plus the adjectival suffix '-ed', where 'pallidus' meant 'pale' and 'fructus' meant 'fruit or produce'.

'pale' changed from Old French 'pal(e)' and Latin 'pallidus', while 'fruit' changed from Latin 'fructus' through Old French and Middle English; the compound adjective form 'pale-fruited' is a later English formation combining these elements for descriptive (especially botanical) use.

Initially the root elements meant 'pale' and 'fruit' in their separate senses; over time the compound came to be used specifically in botanical contexts to mean 'bearing pale-colored fruit.'