'handle-free' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the words 'handle' and 'free', where 'handle' ultimately comes from Old English related to 'hand' (meaning the part used to hold something) and 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' (meaning not bound or without).

'handle-free' was formed in Modern English by compounding the noun 'handle' with the adjective/suffix 'free' (similar to formations like 'sugar-free' or 'fat-free'); 'handle' and 'free' themselves trace back through Middle English to Old English elements ('hand'/'handle' and 'frēo').

Individually, 'handle' originally referred to a part for holding and 'free' meant 'not bound' or 'without'; the compound came to mean 'without a handle' in modern usage.