'ecocentrism' originates from Greek and modern English, specifically the prefix 'eco-' from Greek 'oikos' where 'oikos' meant 'house' or 'dwelling' (extended to 'environment'), and the element 'centrism' from Latin/French 'centrum'/'centre' meaning 'center'.

'ecocentrism' was formed in 20th-century English by combining the productive prefix 'eco-' (from Greek 'oikos', via scientific coinages like 'ecology' and 'ecosystem') with 'centrism' (from 'center'), reflecting developments in environmental thought and ethics.

Initially 'eco-' referred literally to 'house' or 'dwelling'; over time, in compounds like 'ecology' and 'ecocentrism' it came to denote the environment or ecological systems, and the combined term now denotes a viewpoint placing ecological systems at the center of moral concern.