'semitone-containing' originates from English, combining the noun 'semitone' and the present-participial form 'containing'. 'semitone' itself is from the prefix 'semi-' (from Latin 'semis', meaning 'half') + 'tone' (from Greek 'tonos', meaning 'pitch' or 'tone'), while 'containing' derives from Latin 'continēre' (con- 'together' + tenēre 'to hold').

'semitone' was formed in modern English as 'semi-tone' (19th century) and later consolidated as 'semitone'; 'tone' goes back through Middle French/Latin to Greek 'tonos'. 'Contain' passed from Latin 'continēre' into Old French and Middle English (e.g., 'containen') before yielding modern English 'contain', with the present participle 'containing' used to form compound adjectives like 'semitone-containing'.

Initially, 'semitone' meant 'half of a tone' and 'contain' meant 'to hold or include'; combined as 'semitone-containing' it now specifically describes something that includes a half-step interval (musical context).