'2-aminobenzoate' originates from modern chemical nomenclature (IUPAC/English), specifically by combining the locant '2-' (indicating position), the prefix 'amino' (from 'amine', ultimately derived via modern European chemical vocabulary from 'ammonia'), and 'benzoate' (from 'benzoic' / 'benzoate', traced back to 'benzoin' through Medieval Latin/Old French).

'benzoate' evolved from Medieval Latin/Old French forms related to 'benzoin' (a resin originally named from Arabic/Latin sources), then to 'benzoic' and the systematic suffix '-ate' for salts/esters in modern chemical English; 'amino' was formed in the 19th century from 'amine' (itself coined from 'ammonia') and combined with locants like '2-' to give '2-aminobenzoate'.

Initially, elements of the compound name referred to natural substances (e.g., 'benzoin' the resin). Over time these roots became part of systematic chemical naming; today '2-aminobenzoate' specifically denotes the salt/anion or ester of 2-aminobenzoic (anthranilic) acid.