'normal-sighted' is a modern English compound formed from 'normal' and 'sighted'. 'normal' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'normalis' (from 'norma'), where 'norma' meant 'rule' or 'carpenter's square'. 'sighted' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'siht' (also seen as 'sīht'), where the root meant 'sight' or 'seeing'.

'normal' entered English via Old French and Medieval Latin from Latin 'normalis' (related to 'norma'); 'siht' in Old English evolved into Middle English 'sighte' and modern English 'sight', with adjectival/past participle forms giving 'sighted'. The compound 'normal-sighted' is a relatively recent English formation combining these elements to denote typical vision.

Initially, 'sighted' meant simply 'having sight' and 'normal' meant 'conforming to a standard'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'having eyesight within the normal or expected range' rather than any broader sense of 'typical'.