'three-leafed' originates from Old English elements: 'three' from Old English 'þrīe' meaning 'three', and 'leaf' from Old English 'lēaf' meaning 'leaf', combined with the adjectival suffix '-ed' (used to indicate 'having' or 'characterized by').

'three-leafed' developed by compounding the numeral 'three' + noun 'leaf' and adding the suffix '-ed' to form an adjective; variant forms such as 'three-leaved' have also been used in historical and botanical texts.

Initially it described the literal condition 'having three leaves', and this basic meaning has remained stable into modern usage.