'low-usage' is a modern English compound of 'low' and 'usage.' 'Low' originates from Old English (e.g. 'hlēow'/'lǣw') where the sense was 'not high' or 'small in amount,' and 'usage' originates from Old French 'usage' ultimately from Latin 'usus,' meaning 'use' or 'practice.'

'usage' came into English via Old French 'usage' from Latin 'usus.' The compound 'low-usage' is a relatively recent formation in modern English (20th century onward), created by combining the adjective 'low' with the noun 'usage' to describe limited use; it follows a common English pattern of noun/adjective compounding.

Individually, 'low' and 'usage' kept their basic senses ('not high' and 'use'); combined as 'low-usage,' the phrase has consistently meant 'having or showing little use' in modern contexts, especially technical and descriptive language.