'pro-growth' is a modern English compound formed from the prefix 'pro-' and the noun 'growth'. 'pro-' originates from Latin 'pro' meaning 'for' or 'in favor of', and 'growth' comes from the English noun derived from the verb 'grow'.

'growth' derives from Old English 'grōwþ' / 'grōþ', based on the verb 'grōwan' (to grow); the combining use of the prefix 'pro-' in English to form political/ideological compounds (e.g., 'pro-life', 'pro-business') is a more recent, productive formation pattern, leading to coinages like 'pro-growth' in modern usage.

Initially, the elements meant 'for' (pro-) and 'the process or result of growing' (growth); over time the compound came to be used specifically to describe a stance or policy that favors economic or other forms of expansion.