'wheelchair-bound' is formed by combining 'wheelchair' + the past participle 'bound' (from 'bind'), where 'wheelchair' denotes a wheeled seat and 'bound' carries the sense of being tied or confined.

'wheelchair' itself is a compound of 'wheel' (from Old English 'hwēol') and 'chair' (from Old French 'chaiere' < Latin 'cathedra'); 'bound' is the past participle form from Old English roots (related to 'bindan'). The compound adjective 'wheelchair-bound' emerged in modern English (20th century) to describe those confined to or dependent on a wheelchair.

Initially implying a literal sense of being 'tied to' or confined to a wheelchair, the term's common meaning shifted to indicate reliance on a wheelchair for mobility and, in some uses, a collective reference to wheelchair users.