'standalone' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'stand' + 'alone', where 'stand' originally meant 'to be in an upright position or remain' and 'alone' meant 'by oneself'.

The phrase 'stand alone' appears in earlier English (Old/Middle English roots for 'stand' and 'alone'); it later appeared as the hyphenated form 'stand-alone' and, with increasing technical usage in the 20th century, fused into the single word 'standalone'.

Initially it described the literal idea of 'standing by itself'; over time it evolved into the broader modern sense of 'self-contained or independent (esp. of devices, programs, or units)'.