'nature-centered' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'nature' + the adjectival/past-participle form 'centered'. 'nature' itself originates from Latin 'natura' (meaning 'birth, quality, course of nature'), and 'centered' comes from 'center' (see below).

'nature' comes into English via Old French 'nature' from Latin 'natura'; 'centered' is built from 'center' (from Late Latin/Latin 'centrum', from Greek 'kentron' meaning 'sharp point' or 'center') plus the adjectival/past-participle suffix '-ed'. The modern compound 'nature-centered' is a relatively recent English formation using these established elements.

Individually, 'nature' originally meant 'birth' or 'innate quality' and later 'the natural world'; 'centered' meant 'placed at or constituting the center'. Combined, the compound evolved to mean 'having its focus or orientation on nature' rather than a literal physical center.