'annotation-free' originates from combining the noun 'annotation' (from Latin 'annotatio', where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'notare' meant 'to mark') and the adjective 'free' (from Old English 'frēo', meaning 'not bound or without').

'annotation' came into English via Medieval Latin 'annotatio' and Middle English 'annotation'; 'free' evolved from Old English 'frēo' to Middle English 'fre'. The modern compound 'annotation-free' formed by combining these elements in contemporary English to describe something lacking annotations.

Initially, 'annotation' meant 'a note or marking' and 'free' meant 'not bound or exempt'; together the compound evolved to mean 'without notes or labels' in modern usage.