'sequential-access' is a compound of the English words 'sequential' and 'access'. 'Sequential' ultimately originates from Latin, specifically the root 'sequi', where 'sequi' meant 'to follow'. 'Access' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'accessus', where the prefix 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'cedere' meant 'to go'.

'sequential' progressed from Latin 'sequi' to Late Latin forms such as 'sequentia' and Old French 'séquentiel' before entering English as 'sequential'. 'Access' came from Latin 'accessus' through Old French 'acces' and Middle English 'access'. The compound phrase 'sequential access' developed in modern English usage to describe an ordered method of accessing data and is often written with a hyphen as 'sequential-access' in technical contexts.

Initially, the roots referred separately to 'following' (sequi) and 'coming to or approach' (accessus); over time these combined to give the technical sense of 'approaching or retrieving items by following their order', i.e., 'accessing data in sequence'.