'anapest' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'anapaestus', which came from Greek 'anapaistos', where 'ana-' meant 'back' and 'paiein' meant 'to strike'.

'anapaistos' transformed into the Latin 'anapaestus', and eventually became the modern English word 'anapest' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'struck back' or 'reversed', referring to the reversed pattern of syllables, and over time it evolved into its current meaning of a specific metrical foot in poetry.