'anaphora' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anaphora,' where 'ana-' meant 'back' or 'again' and 'pherein' meant 'to carry.'

'anaphora' was adopted into Late Latin as 'anaphora,' then into Medieval Latin, and eventually became the modern English word 'anaphora.'

Initially, it meant 'a carrying back or reference,' but over time it evolved into its current meanings in rhetoric and linguistics.