'weed-prone' originates from English, specifically the words 'weed' and 'prone'; 'weed' ultimately comes from Old English 'wēod' meaning 'herb, weed', and 'prone' comes from Latin 'pronus' (via Old French) meaning 'bent forward' or 'inclined'.

'weed' changed from Old English 'wēod' and Middle English forms like 'wede'/'weod' into the modern English 'weed'. 'prone' came from Latin 'pronus' → Old French/Anglo-Norman forms → Middle English 'prone', and the compound 'weed-prone' was formed in Modern English by combining these elements.

Initially, 'wēod' referred to a 'herb' or 'weed' and 'pronus' meant 'bent forward'/'inclined'; over time 'prone' developed the figurative sense 'inclined to' so the compound came to mean 'inclined to have weeds' or 'likely to grow weeds'.