'epicentre' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'epikentron' (ἐπίκεντρον), where 'epi-' meant 'upon' and 'kentron' meant 'center'.

'epikentron' passed into Neo-Latin as 'epicentrum' and into French as 'épicentre', and eventually became the modern English word 'epicentre'.

Initially, it meant 'upon the center' (literally), but over time it evolved into the technical seismological meaning 'the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake' and later extended figuratively to mean 'a central point of activity'.