'peptidyl-linked' originates from modern English, specifically the combination of 'peptidyl' and 'linked', where 'peptidyl' is formed from 'peptide' with the chemical suffix '-yl' (used to indicate a radical or group) and 'linked' is the past participle of 'link' meaning 'to join'.

'peptidyl' developed after the coining of 'peptide' in the late 19th to early 20th century (from Greek 'peptos' via Neo‑Latin/modern coinage); the suffix '-yl' was adopted in 19th‑century chemical nomenclature to denote radical/groups; 'link' comes from older Germanic/Old English roots meaning 'to join', later producing the modern participle 'linked'.

Initially, 'peptidyl' referred specifically to a chemical radical derived from a peptide; over time, in biochemical contexts the compound form 'peptidyl-linked' came to mean more generally 'having a peptide chain attached' (often describing intermediates or carrier molecules).