'well-viewed' is a compound formed from the adverb 'well' and the past participle 'viewed' (from 'view'). 'Well' originates from Old English 'wel' meaning 'in a satisfactory manner / thoroughly.' 'View' ultimately derives from Latin 'vidēre' meaning 'to see,' via Old French.

'view' entered English via Old French (e.g., Old French 'veue'/'veu' and verbs from Latin 'vidēre'), becoming Middle English 'view(e)'. 'Well' comes from Old English 'wel'. The modern compound 'well-viewed' is a modern English formation combining these elements to mean 'viewed in a good or thorough way' or 'viewed many times.'

Individually, 'well' meant 'in a good or thorough way' and 'viewed' meant 'seen.' Combined in modern usage, 'well-viewed' can mean either 'seen many times' or 'seen favorably,' a slight extension from simply 'seen thoroughly' to either frequency or positive regard.