'normoxic' originates from a combination of the prefix 'normo-' (from Latin 'norma', meaning 'rule' or 'standard') and the suffix '-oxic' (from Greek 'oxys' via modern 'oxygen', associated with oxygen).

'normoxic' developed in modern scientific and medical English by combining the combining form 'normo-' (derived from Late Latin 'norma' > 'normal') with the combining form '-oxic' taken from 'oxygen' (itself from Greek elements 'oxys' and '-genēs'). The term arose in 20th-century biomedical usage to describe normal oxygen conditions.

Originally the components meant 'standard/normal' and 'related to oxygen/sharp'; over time they fused into the specialized adjective meaning 'having normal oxygen levels'.