'hypoxemic' originates from Greek elements: 'hypo-' meaning 'under' and the element related to 'oxys' (oxygen), combined with the medical suffix '-emia' meaning 'blood condition'.

'hypoxemic' developed from the noun 'hypoxemia' (originally formed from Greek 'hypo-' + '-emia'), with a British spelling variant 'hypoxaemic' and the corresponding adjective 'hypoxaemic' evolving alongside the American 'hypoxemic'.

Initially it named the blood condition 'hypoxemia' (low oxygen in the blood); over time the term also came to be used adjectivally as 'hypoxemic' to describe someone or something exhibiting that condition.