'anamite' originates from French, specifically the word 'Annamite,' where 'Annam' referred to the region in central Vietnam and the suffix '-ite' denoted an inhabitant.

'Annamite' was borrowed directly from French into English in the 19th century, and eventually became the modern English word 'anamite.'

Initially, it meant 'a person from Annam,' but over time it has been used more broadly to refer to Vietnamese people, especially in colonial or historical contexts.