'locally-restricted' originates from modern English, specifically the adverb 'locally' (formed from 'local') and the adjective 'restricted', where 'local' comes ultimately from Latin 'locus' meaning 'place' and 'restricted' derives from Latin 'restringere' meaning 'to bind back, confine'.

'locally' developed from Latin 'locus' → Old French/Medieval Latin forms → English 'local' → adverb 'locally'. 'restricted' developed from Latin 'restringere' → past participle forms in Medieval Latin and Old French → Middle English 'restricten/restricted', leading to modern English 'restricted'. The compound phrase 'locally restricted' arose by combining the adverb and adjective in modern English; hyphenation ('locally-restricted') is a more recent orthographic choice to mark them as a single modifier.

Initially the elements meant 'place' (from 'locus') and 'to bind or confine' (from 'restringere'); over time the combined phrase came to mean 'confined to a particular place or area' and is used to describe limits of scope or effect.