'dark-hued' originates from Modern English as a compound of the adjective 'dark' and the adjective/verb-derived 'hued' (from 'hue', meaning 'color' or 'shade').

'dark' came from Old English 'deorc' (meaning 'dark, murky'); 'hue' comes from Middle English 'hewe'/'hue', ultimately from Old English 'hiw' meaning 'color, appearance' (with influence from Old French 'hue'). Over time these elements combined in Modern English to form the descriptive compound 'dark-hued'.

Initially, 'dark' meant 'obscure or without light' and 'hue' meant 'color/appearance'; combined as 'dark-hued' the meaning became the straightforward descriptive 'having a dark color' and has remained stable in modern usage.