'road-free' originates from English, specifically the words 'road' and 'free'; 'road' ultimately comes from Old English 'rād' meaning 'ride, journey', and 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' meaning 'not in bondage, independent'.

'road' changed from Old English 'rād' (from Proto-Germanic *raidą), developed through Middle English (variants like 'rode'/'rod') into modern English 'road'. 'free' changed from Old English 'frēo' (from Proto-Germanic *frijaz) into modern 'free'. The compound 'road-free' is a modern English formation combining these two words.

Initially, 'road' meant 'ride' or 'journey' and later came to mean 'a way or track for travel'; 'free' originally meant 'not enslaved' and broadened to mean 'without' in many compounds. Together in modern usage they mean 'without roads'.