'unlawfully-held' originates from the combination of 'unlawfully' and 'held', where 'unlawfully' is derived from 'un-' meaning 'not' and 'lawfully' meaning 'in accordance with the law', and 'held' is the past participle of 'hold'.

'unlawfully-held' changed from the Old English word 'unlagu' meaning 'not according to law' and 'healdan' meaning 'to hold', eventually becoming the modern English term 'unlawfully-held'.

Initially, it meant 'not held according to law', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.