'eco-ignorance' originates from the prefix 'eco-' meaning 'related to the environment' and the word 'ignorance' from Latin 'ignorantia', where 'ignorare' meant 'not to know'.

'ignorantia' transformed into the Old French word 'ignorance', and eventually became the modern English word 'ignorance'.

Initially, 'ignorance' meant 'lack of knowledge', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.