'arrival-centered' originates from modern English as a compound of 'arrival' and 'centered'. 'Arrival' comes via Middle English from Old French 'arriver' (ultimately from Vulgar Latin forms related to *arripare), where elements meant 'to reach/come to shore'. 'Centered' derives from Latin 'centrum' through Old French 'centre' and Middle English 'centre', where Greek 'kentron' meant 'sharp point, center'.

'arrival' changed from Old French 'arriver' into Middle English forms such as 'arriven' and the noun 'arrival', while 'center' came from Greek 'kentron' -> Latin 'centrum' -> Old French 'centre' -> Middle English 'centre' and later gained the participial/adjectival form 'centered'. The compound 'arrival-centered' arose in modern English by combining these elements to describe orientation toward arrival.

Originally 'arrive' often carried the literal sense of 'reach (a shore or destination)' and 'center' meant a physical middle point; over time the compound evolved to mean 'oriented toward the event or moment of arrival' (a figurative prioritization rather than strictly physical placement).