'properly-made' is a compound of the adverb 'properly' and the past participle 'made'. 'properly' derives from the adjective 'proper', which ultimately originates from Latin 'proprius', where 'proprius' meant 'one's own' or 'appropriate'. 'made' comes from Old English 'macian' (to make), where the root meant 'to build or create.'

'proper' passed into English via Old French 'propre' and Middle English as 'proper'; the adverbial form 'properly' developed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly'. 'make' comes from Old English 'macian' (or 'macan'), became Middle English 'maken', with past participle forms developing into modern 'made'. The compound sense—an adjective formed from an adverb + past participle (e.g., 'properly-made')—is a productive modern English formation for describing manner/quality of production.

Individually, 'properly' historically meant 'in a fitting or appropriate manner' and 'make' meant 'to create or construct'; combined as 'properly-made' the meaning has remained close to 'made in a fitting, correct, or high-quality way', with emphasis on workmanship or correctness.