'protease-mediated' originates as a modern English compound combining 'protease' and 'mediated'; 'protease' is formed from 'protein' + the enzyme-forming suffix '-ase', and 'mediated' is the past participle of 'mediate' (see below).

'protease' developed from New Latin/modern coinage based on 'protein' (from Greek 'proteios' meaning 'primary' or 'of first importance') plus the suffix '-ase' for enzymes; 'mediate' comes from Latin 'mediare' (from 'medius' meaning 'middle') via Medieval/Old French and Middle English, giving the past participle 'mediated'. The compound 'protease-mediated' is a recent scientific formation in modern English.

Individually, 'protease' originally names an enzyme acting on proteins and has retained that meaning; 'mediate' originally meant 'to be in the middle' and evolved to mean 'to act as an intermediary or cause/bring about'. Combined, 'protease-mediated' came to mean 'brought about or dependent on the action of proteases' in modern scientific usage.