'cream-only' originates from Modern English, specifically the words 'cream' and 'only', where 'cream' meant 'the thick fatty part of milk' and 'only' meant 'solely'.

'cream-only' was formed as a compound in Modern English by combining the noun 'cream' and the adverb/adjective 'only' to indicate exclusivity; it did not pass through a distinct older single-word form.

Initially, the components meant 'cream' and 'solely', and the compound's meaning—'consisting solely of cream'—remains the same in modern usage.