'imprecisely-maintained' originates from the combination of 'imprecisely' and 'maintained'. 'Imprecisely' comes from Latin 'im-' meaning 'not' and 'precisus' meaning 'cut off, brief'. 'Maintained' comes from Old French 'maintenir', from Latin 'manu tenere' meaning 'to hold in the hand'.

'Imprecisely' evolved from the Latin 'imprecisus' through Old French 'imprecis', while 'maintained' evolved from Old French 'maintenir'.

Initially, 'imprecisely' meant 'not exact', and 'maintained' meant 'to keep in a certain state'. Together, they describe something not kept in an exact state.