The phrase 'carefully-picked' is a compound of 'carefully' and 'picked.' 'Carefully' comes from 'careful' + '-ly,' and 'picked' is the past participle of 'pick.'

'Carefully' evolved from Middle English 'cariful' and 'picked' from Old English 'pician.' The phrase 'carefully-picked' is a modern English compound used to describe something chosen with care.

Initially, 'pick' meant 'to pluck or select,' and 'carefully' meant 'with care.' The compound now means 'selected with great attention.'