'terrain-responsive' originates from the combination of 'terrain' and 'responsive', where 'terrain' refers to the physical features of a tract of land and 'responsive' means reacting quickly and positively.

'Terrain' comes from the Latin word 'terra', meaning 'earth', and 'responsive' is derived from the Latin 'respondere', meaning 'to answer'.

Initially, 'responsive' meant 'to answer', but in this context, it evolved to mean 'adapting to conditions'.