'radar-guided' originates from English, specifically the acronym 'radar' (originally 'radio detection and ranging') combined with the past participle 'guided' formed from the verb 'guide', where 'radar' meant 'radio detection and ranging' and 'guide' meant 'to lead or show the way'.

'radar' was coined as an acronym in English in the 1940s and quickly entered technical and general usage; it was later joined with the past participle 'guided' to form compounds like 'radar-guided' to describe weapons or systems using radar for direction. The verb 'guide' came into English from Old French 'guider' (from a Germanic source) and developed through Middle English into the modern word 'guide'.

Initially, 'radar-guided' was used mainly in military and technical contexts to mean 'guided by radar'; over time the term's core meaning has remained consistent and is now used broadly for any system 'directed or controlled by radar'.