'carbonemia' originates from New Latin/modern medical formation, combining 'carbon' (from Latin 'carbo' meaning 'coal' or 'carbon') with the Greek-derived suffix '-emia' (from 'haima' meaning 'blood').

'carbo' in Latin gave rise to English 'carbon' and, with the medical suffix '-emia', formed the compound 'carbonemia' in modern medical usage to denote a blood condition related to carbon (in practice referring to carbon dioxide levels).

Initially, the components implied 'carbon in the blood', but in medical usage it has come to mean specifically an excess of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood.