'lawfully-supported' originates from the combination of 'lawfully' and 'supported', where 'lawfully' is derived from 'law' meaning 'a system of rules' and 'supported' from 'support' meaning 'to uphold or back'.

'lawfully' changed from Old English 'lagu' meaning 'law' and 'support' from Old French 'supporter', eventually forming the modern English term 'lawfully-supported'.

Initially, it meant 'backed by law', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.