'oxygen-proof' originates from English; it is a compound of 'oxygen' and the suffix '-proof', where 'oxygen' comes from French 'oxygène' (coined from Greek 'oxys' meaning 'acid' and '-genes' meaning 'producer') and 'proof' comes from Old French 'preuve' (originally meaning 'test' or 'trial', later used in compounds to indicate resistance).

'oxygen' was coined in French as 'oxygène' in the late 18th century (Antoine Lavoisier) and entered English as 'oxygen'; 'proof' derives from Old French 'preuve' and Old English/Middle English forms related to 'prufian'/'proof'; the compound 'oxygen-proof' is a modern English formation (19th–20th century) formed by joining the noun and '-proof' to mean 'resistant to oxygen'.

Initially, 'oxygen' named the chemical element and 'proof' originally meant 'test' or 'evidence'; in the compound the sense shifted to 'resistant to' or 'impervious to' oxygen, i.e., 'not affected by oxygen' or 'preventing oxygen's passage'.