'structure-preserving' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the words 'structure' and 'preserve', where 'structure' ultimately comes from Latin 'structura' meaning 'arrangement' and 'preserve' comes from Latin 'praeservare' meaning 'to keep beforehand'.

'structure' passed from Latin 'structura' via Old French/Medieval Latin into Middle English as 'structure'; 'preserve' passed from Latin 'praeservare' through Old French 'preserver' into Middle English; the compound construction 'structure-preserving' is a Modern English formation used in technical contexts.

Initially the components meant 'arrangement' (structure) and 'to keep' (preserve); over time the compound came to be used specifically to describe mappings or processes that 'keep' particular formal structures (for example algebraic or topological properties).