'badly-placed' originates from the combination of 'badly,' meaning 'in a bad manner,' and 'placed,' the past participle of 'place,' meaning 'to put in a particular position.'

'badly' and 'placed' have been used in English since the Middle Ages, with 'badly' evolving from Old English 'bædlic' and 'placed' from Old French 'placer.'

Initially, 'badly' meant 'in a bad manner,' and 'placed' meant 'put in position.' The combination retains this meaning in modern usage.