'faintly-colored' is a compound word formed from 'faintly' and 'colored.' 'Faintly' comes from 'faint,' which originates from Old French 'feint,' meaning 'weak' or 'feigned,' and 'colored' comes from Latin 'colorare,' meaning 'to color.'

'Faintly-colored' was formed in modern English by combining 'faintly' (from 'faint') and 'colored' (from 'color').

Initially, it described something with a weak or slight color, and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.