'environment-centered' originates from modern English as a compound of the noun 'environment' and the adjective-forming past participle 'centered'. 'environment' was used to mean 'surroundings' and 'centered' indicates 'having as a center'.

'environment' comes from Old French 'environ' meaning 'to surround' with the nominalizing suffix '-ment', and entered Middle English as 'environ'/'environment'; 'centered' derives from 'center' (Middle English from Old French 'centre', from Latin 'centrum'). The compound 'environment-centered' is a recent English formation combining these elements.

Initially, 'environment' referred broadly to what surrounds something; 'centered' meant placed at the center. Over time the compound came to mean 'having the environment as the primary focus' or 'prioritizing environmental concerns'.