'often-shared' is a compound word formed from 'often' and 'shared'. 'Often' originates from Old English 'oft', meaning 'frequently', and 'shared' comes from the Old English 'scearu', meaning 'division'.

'Often' evolved from the Old English 'oft' and 'shared' from 'scearu', eventually forming the modern compound 'often-shared'.

Initially, 'often' meant 'frequently', and 'shared' meant 'divided'. Over time, 'often-shared' evolved to mean 'frequently distributed or used by multiple people'.