'eco-education' originates from the combination of 'eco-', a prefix derived from 'ecology', and 'education', which comes from Latin 'educatio', meaning 'a breeding, a bringing up'.

'eco-education' is a modern term that combines 'eco-', a prefix used in the 20th century to denote ecological or environmental aspects, with 'education', a term that has been in use since the 14th century.

Initially, 'education' meant 'the process of bringing up or training', but with the addition of 'eco-', it evolved to focus specifically on ecological and environmental training.