'moisturize' originates from English, formed from the adjective 'moist' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ize', where 'moist' meant 'slightly wet' in earlier English.

'moist' comes from Old French 'moiste', ultimately related to Latin 'mustum' (meaning 'new wine' or 'must'); the modern verb 'moisturize' was formed in English by adding the productive suffix '-ize' to 'moist' to mean 'make moist' or 'apply moisture'.

Initially, 'moist' described a slightly wet condition; over time the derived verb 'moisturize' came to mean specifically 'to add or retain moisture, especially to skin or hair' and that specialized usage has remained.