The word 'svelte' entered English in the early 19th century from French, which borrowed it from Italian 'svelto'. The Italian term originated from the Latin past participle 'sveltus', a variant of 'evellere', meaning 'to pluck out' or 'to extract'. This literal sense of being 'drawn out' evolved metaphorically in Italian to describe a slender, elongated, and nimble physique. Thus, the modern English meaning of being attractively slender and graceful retains this core idea of a figure that appears elongated or finely drawn.

This word is a loanword from French and Italian, where it is a simplex form. Its ultimate origin is the Latin past participle 'evellere' (to pluck out, to pull out), which evolved into Italian 'svelto' (pulled out, slender, nimble) and then French 'svelte'.