'winter-hardy' originates from the combination of 'winter' and 'hardy', where 'winter' refers to the coldest season of the year and 'hardy' means 'robust or capable of enduring difficult conditions'.

'winter-hardy' evolved from the Old English word 'hard', meaning 'strong or firm', combined with 'winter', to describe plants or animals that can survive winter conditions.

Initially, it meant 'strong enough to endure winter', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.