'rounded-fruited' originates from Modern English, a compound of 'rounded' and 'fruited', where 'rounded' is the past participle of 'round' (ultimately from Old French 'rond' and Latin 'rotundus' meaning 'round') and 'fruited' is formed from 'fruit' (from Latin 'fructus' meaning 'produce, enjoyment') with the adjectival suffix '-ed'.

'rounded-fruited' changed from the combination of Middle English elements for 'round' (from Old French 'rond' < Latin 'rotundus') and 'fruit' (from Old French 'fruit' < Latin 'fructus'), and was later used in Modern English as the compound adjective 'rounded-fruited'.

Initially, the component words referred to 'round' and 'fruit' (with 'fructus' indicating produce), and their compound came to mean specifically 'having round fruits' in botanical usage — a meaning that has remained stable.