'lawfully-possessed' originates from the combination of 'lawfully' and 'possessed', where 'lawfully' means 'in accordance with the law' and 'possessed' means 'owned or held'.

'Lawfully' comes from the Old English word 'lagu', meaning 'law', and 'possessed' comes from the Latin word 'possidere', meaning 'to have and hold'.

Initially, it meant 'owned in accordance with the law', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.