'cross-pollinate' originates from the combination of 'cross' and 'pollinate', where 'cross' refers to the act of mixing different species or varieties, and 'pollinate' comes from Latin 'pollinatus', meaning 'to sprinkle with pollen'.

'cross-pollinate' evolved from the practice of 'pollination' in botany, where 'cross' was added to indicate the mixing of different plant species.

Initially, it meant 'to sprinkle with pollen', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to fertilize one plant with pollen from another'.