'warm-smelling' originates from English, formed by combining the adjective 'warm' and the present-participial form 'smelling' (from the verb 'smell'), where 'warm' originally meant 'comfortably high in temperature' and 'smell' meant 'to emit or perceive an odor'.

'warm' comes from Old English 'wearm' and became Middle English 'warm', while 'smell' derives from Old English 'smellan' (or related forms) -> Middle English 'smellen'/'smellen' and later modernized to 'smell'; the compound 'warm-smelling' is a Modern English formation combining these elements to describe scent.

Individually, 'warm' originally described temperature and comfort and 'smell' described emission/perception of odor; combined in Modern English they evolved into the descriptive adjective 'warm-smelling' meaning 'having a warm or comforting aroma'.