'squat-prevention' originates from English, specifically the words 'squat' and 'prevention', where 'squat' originally meant 'to crouch or sit on one's heels' and 'prevention' meant 'the act of preventing or stopping'.

'squat' developed in English from older terms meaning 'to crouch' (and later extended to mean 'to occupy land or property without permission'), while 'prevention' comes from Latin 'praeventio' via Old French; the modern compound 'squat-prevention' is formed in contemporary English by combining the two words.

Initially, 'squat' primarily referred to a posture ('to crouch'), but over time it came to include the sense of unlawful occupation; 'prevention' has long meant 'the act of stopping' — together they now commonly refer to measures that stop squatting (either the occupation or the exercise).