'asphyxiative' originates from the verb 'asphyxiate' (English), which itself comes from Greek 'asphyxía' (ἀσφυξία), where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and the root 'sphyx/ sphyxis' related to 'pulse' or 'throbbing'; the adjectival suffix '-ive' (from Latin '-ivus') was added in English to form an adjective meaning 'causing asphyxia'.

'asphyxiative' formed in modern English from the verb 'asphyxiate' (17th century English), which was borrowed from Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'asphyxia' and ultimately from Greek 'asphyxía' (ἀσφυξία). The Greek term combined 'a-' (without) + a root related to 'pulse' or 'throbbing' and passed into Latin medical usage before entering English.

Initially the Greek-derived term referred to a state 'without pulse' or 'loss of pulse'; over time the meaning shifted in medical contexts to refer more broadly to deprivation of oxygen and suffocation, and in modern English 'asphyxiative' denotes something that causes suffocation or impedes breathing.