'systems-oriented' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'system' (plural 'systems') and the adjective-forming phrase 'oriented'. 'System' ultimately comes from Greek 'sustēma' via Latin and French, where 'sustēma' meant 'a whole made of several parts'; 'orient' (root of 'oriented') comes from Latin 'oriens' meaning 'rising (east)'.

'system' entered English via Latin 'systema' from Greek 'sustēma'; 'orient' came from Latin 'oriens' and Old French 'orienter' leading to English 'orient' and the adjective/past-participle form 'oriented'. The compound 'systems-oriented' is a modern English coinage combining these elements to describe an orientation toward systems thinking.

Originally 'orient' could mean 'to turn toward (the east)' and more broadly 'to align' or 'position'; over time 'oriented' came to mean 'directed toward' or 'focused on'. Thus 'systems-oriented' came to mean 'directed toward or focusing on systems' (i.e., emphasis on whole systems and their interrelations).