'human-footed' originates from Modern English, specifically a compound of 'human' (from Latin 'humanus') and 'footed' (from Old English 'fōt' + suffix '-ed'), where 'human' meant 'of or belonging to man' and 'fōt' meant 'foot'.

'human' developed from Latin 'humanus' through Old French and Middle English into the Modern English word 'human'; 'footed' developed from Old English 'fōt' with the adjectival/participial suffix '-ed' to mean 'having feet', and the two were combined in Modern English to form 'human-footed'.

Initially it was a straightforward descriptive compound meaning 'having human feet'; over time it has remained largely descriptive and is relatively rare, used mainly in technical, zoological, or literary descriptions.