'anaphrodisiacal' originates from modern English, specifically formed from the Greek-derived prefix 'an-' (from Greek 'an-' meaning 'not' or 'without') + the word 'aphrodisiac' (from Greek 'Aphrodite', name of the goddess of love).

'anaphrodisiacal' was formed by combining 'an-' + 'aphrodisiac' (from Late Latin/Greek 'aphrodisiakos'), and later taking the adjectival suffix '-al' to create the modern English adjective 'anaphrodisiacal'.

Initially the elements signified 'not/without' + 'relating to sexual desire', and over time the combined term came to mean 'having the effect of reducing sexual desire' in modern usage.