'overtly-declared' originates from English compounding, combining the adverb 'overtly' (from 'overt' + suffix '-ly') and the participial adjective 'declared' (from Old French 'declarer' < Latin 'declarare', where 'de-' meant 'completely' and 'clarus' meant 'clear').

'overt' developed via Old French 'overt' from Latin 'aperire' ('to open'), and 'declare' came via Old French 'declarer' from Latin 'declarare'. In modern English, these elements combined into the hyphenated compound adjective 'overtly-declared'.

Initially, it meant 'stated openly or publicly', and this sense remains the same in modern usage.