'rust-preventing' originates from English, composed of 'rust' (from Old English 'rūst') and the present participle 'preventing' ultimately from Latin 'praevenire' via Old French, where 'rūst' meant 'rust' and Latin 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'venire' meant 'to come'.

'prevent' changed from Latin 'praevenire' to Old French 'prevenir' and then into Middle English forms (e.g. 'preven','preventen'), eventually becoming the modern English verb 'prevent'; 'rust' comes directly from Old English 'rūst' and combining them produced the compound 'rust-preventing' in modern English.

Initially, Latin 'praevenire' meant 'to come before' (in time or place); over time it evolved to mean 'to stop something from happening' in English, so 'rust-preventing' came to mean 'stopping the occurrence of rust'.