'rough-edit' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'rough' and 'edit', where 'rough' meant 'coarse or unfinished' and 'edit' meant 'to prepare or revise material for publication or presentation.'

'edit' originates from Latin, specifically the past participle 'editus' of 'edere' meaning 'to bring forth' or 'to publish', entered English via Old French/Medieval Latin and developed into the verb 'to edit' in English by the 19th century; 'rough' comes from Old English 'rūh' meaning 'coarse, hairy', and the compound 'rough edit' arose in film and audio practice as the medium developed in the 20th century.

Initially, 'rough' meant 'coarse' and 'edit' related to preparing material for publication; over time the compound came to mean a specifically early, unpolished assembly of audiovisual material (an early editing stage) rather than a finished editorial act.