'carminative' originates from New Latin 'carminativus' (or Latin 'carminativus'), where the root 'carmin-' is associated with expelling wind and the suffix '-ativus' means 'tending to' or 'having the nature of'.

'carminative' passed into English from Neo-Latin/Latin medical terminology (Late Latin 'carminativus') and was adopted into English medical vocabulary in the Early Modern period as the adjective and noun referring to agents that relieve intestinal gas.

Initially it referred specifically to medicinal agents that cause the expulsion of intestinal wind; over time it has continued to mean broadly 'relieving or preventing intestinal gas' and is used both as a medical noun and an adjective describing such properties.