'oxygenic' originates from the noun 'oxygen' (coined in Modern French 'oxygène' by Lavoisier), with the adjectival suffix '-ic' added to form 'oxygenic'. 'Oxygen' itself was formed from Greek elements 'oxys' meaning 'sharp, acid' and 'genēs' meaning 'producer or begetter'.

'oxygenic' developed by adding the English adjectival suffix '-ic' to the scientific noun 'oxygen' (from French 'oxygène'), which ultimately derives from Greek roots; thus the modern English adjective arose from the chemical term 'oxygen' in the 18th–19th century scientific vocabulary.

Initially the coinage behind 'oxygen' reflected the idea of an 'acid producer' from the Greek roots, but over time 'oxygen' came to denote the chemical element; 'oxygenic' therefore evolved to mean 'producing or containing oxygen' in modern scientific usage.