'unlawfully-maintained' originates from the combination of 'unlawful' and 'maintain', where 'unlawful' means 'not conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law' and 'maintain' means 'to keep in existence or continuance'.

'Unlawful' comes from Old English 'unlagu', meaning 'not according to law', and 'maintain' comes from Old French 'maintenir', meaning 'to hold in hand'.

Initially, 'unlawful' meant 'not according to law', and 'maintain' meant 'to hold in hand'. Over time, 'unlawfully-maintained' evolved to mean 'kept or continued in a manner not permitted by law'.