'anthraxemia' originates from the combination of 'anthrax' (Greek 'ánthrax') and the suffix '-emia' (from Greek 'haima'), where 'ánthrax' meant 'coal' (a reference to black skin lesions) and 'haima' meant 'blood'.

'anthrax' passed from Greek 'ánthrax' into Latin as 'anthrax' and into Middle English, while the suffix '-emia' derives from Greek 'haima' through medieval Latin forms; these elements combined in modern medical English to form 'anthraxemia'.

Initially, 'anthrax' referred to the coal-like skin lesion (hence 'coal'), but in modern medical compounds like 'anthraxemia' the term denotes infection by Bacillus anthracis affecting the blood.