'accidentally-maintained' originates from the combination of 'accidentally' and 'maintained'. 'Accidentally' comes from Latin 'accidentalis', meaning 'happening by chance', and 'maintained' from Old French 'maintenir', meaning 'to hold in hand'.

'accidentally' evolved from the Latin 'accidentalis' through Old French, while 'maintained' evolved from Old French 'maintenir'. The combination of these words into 'accidentally-maintained' is a modern English construct.

Initially, 'accidentally' meant 'by chance', and 'maintained' meant 'to keep in a certain state'. The combined term 'accidentally-maintained' retains these meanings, indicating something kept by chance.