'lock-based' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the words 'lock' and 'based', where 'lock' traces back to Old English 'loc' meaning 'bolt, fastening' and 'based' derives from Middle English 'based' (from Old French 'baser' ultimately from Greek/Latin 'basis') meaning 'having a base'.

'lock' changed from Old English 'loc' to Middle English forms like 'lok' and eventually to the modern English 'lock'; 'based' developed from Old French 'baser'/'base' into Middle English 'based'. In Modern English the two elements were combined into the compound adjective 'lock-based'.

Initially, the components meant 'a fastening device' ('lock') and 'having a base' ('based'); over time they combined in modern usage to mean 'having locks as the foundational mechanism' (especially in technical contexts).