'resource-reliant' originates from the combination of 'resource' and 'reliant', where 'resource' refers to a stock or supply of materials and 'reliant' means dependent on something.

'resource' comes from the Old French word 'resourse', and 'reliant' is derived from the French word 'relier', meaning 'to bind'.

Initially, it meant 'dependent on a source of supply', and over time it evolved to specifically refer to dependence on natural resources.