'substance-driven' originates from the combination of 'substance' and 'driven', where 'substance' refers to a tangible or material element, and 'driven' implies being motivated or influenced by something.

'Substance' comes from the Latin word 'substantia', meaning 'essence' or 'material', and 'driven' is derived from the Old English 'drifan', meaning 'to drive'.

Initially, 'substance-driven' referred to being motivated by physical materials, but it has evolved to include any tangible or concrete influence.