'improperly-held' originates from the combination of 'improperly' and 'held', where 'improperly' is derived from Latin 'improprius', meaning 'not proper', and 'held' is the past participle of 'hold', from Old English 'healdan'.

'improperly' evolved from Latin 'improprius' through Old French 'impropre', and 'held' from Old English 'healdan', eventually forming the modern English term 'improperly-held'.

Initially, 'improperly' meant 'not proper', and 'held' meant 'to possess or retain', which together evolved to mean 'possessing something in an incorrect manner'.