'atmogenic' originates from modern scientific coinage combining Greek 'atmos' and the suffix '-genic' (via New Latin/Modern formation), where 'atmos' meant 'vapor, air' and '-genic' (from Greek gen- / genos) meant 'produced by' or 'originating from'.

'atmogenic' was formed in scientific/technical vocabulary in Neo-Latin/Modern usage by joining 'atmo-' (from Greek 'atmos') with the combining form '-genic' and entered English as a technical adjective meaning 'originating in the atmosphere'.

Initially it was coined to mean 'produced by or originating in the atmosphere'; this core meaning has been retained in modern technical usage.