'anoxaemic' originates from Greek and New Latin elements: from Greek 'an-' meaning 'without', Greek 'oxys' (via Latin/New Latin in 'oxygen') meaning 'sharp' (used historically for oxygen), and Greek 'haima' meaning 'blood' (combined in Neo-Latin form 'anoxaemia').

'anoxaemic' developed via Neo-Latin 'anoxaemia' (19th century medical coinage) and French 'anoxémie', then entered English as 'anoxaemia' (noun) and the adjective form 'anoxaemic'. The U.S. spelling 'anoxemia'/'anoxemic' is a parallel variant.

Initially formed to mean 'blood without oxygen' (literally), the term has retained this medical sense and now denotes the clinical condition of abnormally low oxygen in the blood.