'linear-based' originates from English, specifically the adjective 'linear' (from Latin 'linearis', from 'linea') and the past-participle adjective 'based' (from Old French 'base', ultimately from Greek 'basis'), where 'linea' meant 'line' and 'basis' meant 'step' or 'foundation'.

'linear' entered English via Latin 'linearis' (from 'linea') and Middle English adaptations; 'base' came into Middle English via Old French 'base' from Late Latin/Greek 'basis'. The compound 'linear-based' formed in modern English by combining these elements to describe something founded on linear concepts.

Initially the roots referred separately to 'pertaining to a line' and to a 'foundation' or 'base'; over time the compound evolved to mean 'based on linear principles or linear models' in modern technical and descriptive usage.