'counter-miasmatic' originates from Modern English, specifically the combining prefix 'counter-' (from Latin 'contra') meaning 'against', and 'miasmatic' derived from 'miasma' (from Greek 'μίασμα / miasma') where the root meant 'stain' or 'pollution'.

'miasma' comes from Ancient Greek 'μίασμα' meaning 'stain' or 'defilement'; it entered Late Latin/Neo-Latin as 'miasma' and English as 'miasma' in early modern usage (17th–18th c.), 'miasmatic' formed as the adjective, and 'counter-miasmatic' later formed in English as a compound to indicate actions or measures opposing miasma or the miasma theory (notably in 19th-century public-health contexts).

Initially 'miasma' meant a 'stain' or 'defilement' and later came to mean 'noxious or disease-causing air'; 'counter-miasmatic' evolved to mean 'acting against or preventing such noxious airs or the belief in them'.