'hands-free' originates from the combination of 'hands' and 'free', where 'hands' refers to the human hand and 'free' means 'not under the control or in the power of another'.

'hands-free' evolved from the need for devices that allow operation without manual handling, especially in the context of driving and mobile technology.

Initially, it referred to any action not requiring hands, but now it is commonly associated with technology and devices.