'spiny-leaved' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'spiny' and 'leaved', where 'spiny' ultimately comes from Latin 'spina' meaning 'thorn, backbone' and the adjective-forming suffix '-y' meant 'having', and 'leaved' derives from Old English 'lǣf' (leaf) meaning 'leaf'.

'spiny' changed from Latin 'spina' to Old French 'espine' and Middle English 'spine' before the adjectival form 'spiny' appeared in Modern English; 'leaved' developed from Old English 'lǣf' (leaf) with a past-participle/adjectival form meaning 'having leaves', and the two were later combined into the compound 'spiny-leaved' in Modern English.

Initially, the elements referred separately to 'spines' and to 'leaves'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'having leaves that are spiny' (i.e., 'having spiny leaves').