'awkwardly-positioned' originates from the combination of 'awkwardly' and 'positioned', where 'awkwardly' is derived from the Old Norse word 'afugr', meaning 'turned the wrong way', and 'positioned' comes from the Latin 'positio', meaning 'placement'.

'awkwardly' evolved from the Middle English 'awkeward', and 'positioned' from the Latin 'positio', eventually forming the modern English term 'awkwardly-positioned'.

Initially, 'awkwardly' meant 'in a wrong or clumsy manner', and 'positioned' meant 'placed'. Together, they evolved to describe something placed in an uncomfortable or inconvenient manner.