'previously-held' originates from the combination of 'previously' and 'held', where 'previously' is derived from Latin 'praevius', meaning 'going before', and 'held' is the past participle of 'hold', from Old English 'healdan'.

'previously-held' combines the adverb 'previously' and the past participle 'held' to form an adjective describing something that was once possessed or occupied.

Initially, it meant 'something that was held before', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.