'system-centred' originates from English components 'system' and 'centred'; 'system' ultimately comes from Greek 'systēma' where 'syn-' meant 'together' and 'histanai' meant 'to cause to stand', and 'centred' comes from Latin 'centrum' via Old French 'centre', where the root 'kentron' in Greek meant 'sharp point' or 'center'.

'system-centred' is a modern English compound formed by combining 'system' (from Greek via Latin and Middle English) and 'centred' (adjectival form of 'centre', from Old French 'centre' and Latin 'centrum'); the adjectival use with '-ed' on 'centre/center' developed in post-medieval English to mean 'located at or focusing on a center', and later extended metaphorically to mean 'focused on a system'.

Initially, the elements referred to being at a literal center; over time the compound came to mean prioritizing or focusing on the system as an organizing principle rather than a literal physical center.