'insecurely-held' originates from the combination of 'insecurely' and 'held', where 'insecurely' is derived from 'insecure', meaning 'not secure', and 'held' is the past participle of 'hold', meaning 'to grasp or support'.

'insecurely-held' changed from the Old English word 'healdan', meaning 'to hold', and eventually became the modern English phrase 'insecurely-held'.

Initially, it meant 'not securely grasped or supported', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.