'seldom-shipped' originates from the combination of 'seldom' and 'shipped', where 'seldom' means 'not often' and 'shipped' means 'sent or dispatched'.

'seldom' comes from Old English 'seldan', and 'shipped' is derived from the verb 'ship', which has roots in Old English 'scipian'.

Initially, 'seldom' meant 'rarely', and 'shipped' meant 'sent by ship'. The combined term 'seldom-shipped' retains the original meanings of both words.