'fancifully-altered' originates from the combination of 'fancifully' and 'altered'. 'Fancifully' comes from 'fanciful', which is derived from 'fancy', originating from the Middle English word 'fantasie', meaning 'imagination'. 'Altered' comes from the Latin word 'alterare', meaning 'to change'.

'fancifully' evolved from 'fancy', which was influenced by the French word 'fantaisie', and 'altered' evolved from the Latin 'alterare', eventually forming the modern English term 'fancifully-altered'.

Initially, 'fancifully' meant 'in a manner of imagination', and 'altered' meant 'changed'. Together, they evolved to mean 'changed in an imaginative way'.