'febrifugal' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'febrifugus'/'febrifugalis', where 'febri-' meant 'fever' (from Latin 'febris') and '-fugal' meant 'driving away' (from Latin 'fugare', 'to drive away').

'febrifugal' changed from Medieval/Scientific Latin 'febrifugus' (formed from Latin 'febris' + 'fugare') and entered English formation as 'febrifugal' by combining the element meaning 'fever' with the suffix meaning 'driving away', yielding the modern English adjective 'febrifugal'.

Initially it meant 'driving away fever' (literally 'fever‑driving'), and this has remained its core sense, now expressed as 'reducing or preventing fever; antipyretic'.