'scantily-leaved' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'scantily' and 'leaved'. 'Scantily' derives from 'scant' + the adverbial suffix '-ly'; 'scant' ultimately comes from Old Norse 'skamt', where 'skamt' meant 'short' or 'limited'. 'Leaved' is formed from 'leaf' + the adjectival/past participle suffix '-ed', with 'leaf' originating in Old English 'lēaf'.

'scant' entered Middle English as 'scant' (influenced by Old Norse and Old French forms) and produced the adverb 'scantily' by addition of '-ly' in Early Modern English; 'leaf' was Old English 'lēaf', which became Middle English 'leaf' and then yielded adjectival forms such as 'leaved' used to describe the presence or absence of leaves. These elements combined in Modern English to form the compound adjective 'scantily-leaved'.

Initially the components meant 'limited/short' (scant) and 'leaf' (leaf); over time they combined to denote the current specific botanical sense of 'having few leaves' or 'sparsely covered with leaves'.