'carefully-directed' originates from Modern English, specifically as a compound of 'carefully' and 'directed', where 'carefully' meant 'with care' and 'directed' meant 'guided'.

'carefully' comes from Middle English 'careful' (formed from Old English 'caru' meaning 'sorrow, care') with the adverbial suffix '-ly'; 'directed' comes from Latin 'dirigere' -> past participle Latin 'directus', passed into Old French and Middle English as 'direct', and then formed as the past-participial adjective 'directed' in Modern English.

Initially, 'care'/'careful' carried senses of 'concern' or 'attention' and 'direct' meant 'to guide or set straight'; over time the compound came to mean 'guided or controlled with careful attention'—a fusion of both original senses.