'sperm-requiring' originates from Modern English as a compound combining 'sperm' and 'require'. 'sperm' comes from Greek 'sperma' meaning 'seed', and 'require' comes from Latin 'requirere' meaning 'to seek again' or 'ask for'.

'sperm' entered English via Latin and Greek (Greek 'sperma'); 'require' developed from Latin 'requirere' through Old French and Middle English into the modern verb 'require'. The compound 'sperm-requiring' is a recent Modern English formation using the noun and verb/adjective form together.

Individually, 'sperm' originally meant 'seed' and 'require' meant 'to ask for or need'; combined in modern usage they mean 'needing sperm' specifically for fertilization, a specialized biological sense.