'anapophysis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anapophysis', where 'ana-' meant 'up' or 'again' and 'apophysis' meant 'a growth or outgrowth'.

'anapophysis' was adopted directly from Greek into scientific Latin and then into English as a technical anatomical term.

Initially, it meant 'an outgrowth or projection', and in anatomy, it came to specifically refer to a lateral process on vertebrae.