'superficially-examined' originates from the combination of 'superficial' and 'examine'. 'Superficial' comes from Latin 'superficialis', where 'super-' meant 'above' and 'facies' meant 'face'. 'Examine' comes from Latin 'examinare', where 'ex-' meant 'out' and 'agmen' meant 'a driving'.

'superficial' changed from the Latin word 'superficialis' and 'examine' from 'examinare', eventually forming the modern English term 'superficially-examined'.

Initially, 'superficial' meant 'pertaining to the surface', and 'examine' meant 'to test or inspect'. Over time, 'superficially-examined' evolved to mean 'examined in a cursory manner'.