'tartar-inhibiting' originates from English, specifically the words 'tartar' and 'inhibit', where 'tartar' meant 'a hard deposit (especially on teeth)' and 'inhibit' meant 'to restrain or hold back'.

'tartar' entered English via French 'tartre' and Medieval Latin 'tartarum' (ultimately from Greek 'tartaron'); 'inhibit' comes from Latin 'inhibēre' (in- + habēre, 'to hold'), and the compound 'tartar-inhibiting' is a modern English formation combining these elements to describe a preventive action against tartar.

Initially, 'tartar' referred generally to a type of deposit; over time, in dentistry it became the established term for hardened dental plaque. The compound 'tartar-inhibiting' later came to mean specifically 'preventing the formation of such dental deposits'.