'septicemia' originates from Neo-Latin/medical Latin and ultimately from Greek, specifically the words 'septikos' and 'haima', where 'septikos' meant 'putrefactive' and 'haima' meant 'blood'.

'septicemia' changed from the Greek elements 'septikos' + 'haima' through Medieval/Neo-Latin forms (e.g. 'septicaemia') and eventually became the modern English word 'septicemia' (US spelling) and 'septicaemia' (British spelling).

Initially, it meant 'putrefaction of the blood', but over time it evolved into its current medical sense of 'infection of the bloodstream' or 'blood poisoning'.