'freely-given' originates from the combination of 'freely' and 'given', where 'freely' means 'without restriction' and 'given' is the past participle of 'give', meaning 'to bestow or present'.

'freely' and 'given' have been used in English since the Middle Ages, with 'freely' derived from Old English 'freolice' and 'given' from Old English 'giefan'.

Initially, 'freely-given' meant 'given without restraint', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.