'plant-derived' originates from English, specifically the combination of 'plant' and 'derived'; 'plant' ultimately comes from Latin 'planta' meaning 'a sprout or cutting', and 'derived' comes from Latin 'derivare' (de- + rivus) meaning 'to draw off or lead away.'

'plant' entered English from Latin 'planta' via Old French/Medieval Latin influences and developed into the modern English 'plant'; 'derive' entered English from Latin 'derivare' through Old French (e.g. 'deriver') and Middle English, with the past participle forming 'derived' and later used in compounds like 'plant-derived'.

Individually, 'plant' initially referred to a young shoot or a planted cutting and 'derive' originally meant 'to draw off (a stream)'; over time the composite 'plant-derived' came to mean 'originating from plants' with a biological/industrial sense.