'oxygen-deprived' is a compound of 'oxygen' and the past participle 'deprived'. 'oxygen' originates from French 'oxygène' (coined in the late 18th century), ultimately from Greek 'oxys' meaning 'sharp' or 'acid' and 'genes' meaning 'producer'. 'deprived' comes from Latin 'deprivare' (via Old French 'depriver'), where the prefix 'de-' meant 'away' and 'privare' meant 'to rob or strip.'

'oxygen' was coined in French as 'oxygène' in the late 1700s and adopted into English as 'oxygen'. 'deprived' developed from Latin 'deprivare' through Old French 'depriver' into Middle English forms (e.g. 'depriven') and the modern past participle 'deprived'. The compound 'oxygen-deprived' arose in modern English usage (20th century) to describe a state lacking oxygen.

Individually, 'oxygen' originally referenced 'acid-producer' in early chemical terminology and later became the standard name for the element; 'deprive' originally meant 'to take away'. Together as 'oxygen-deprived' the phrase came to mean 'lacking oxygen' or 'suffering from insufficient oxygen' in medical and general contexts.