'never-used' is a compound word formed from 'never' and 'used'. 'Never' comes from Old English 'nǣfre', meaning 'not ever', and 'used' is the past participle of 'use', from Latin 'uti', meaning 'to use'.

'never-used' is a modern English compound, combining 'never' and 'used' to create a descriptive adjective. The components have existed for centuries, but the compound is relatively recent.

Initially, the components meant 'not ever' and 'employed', and together they have always meant 'not ever employed or utilized'.