'anatiferous' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'anatifer', where 'anas' meant 'duck' or 'goose' and '-fer' meant 'bearing' or 'carrying'.

'anatiferous' changed from the Medieval Latin word 'anatiferus' and eventually became the modern English word 'anatiferous'.

Initially, it meant 'bearing geese', especially in the context of the myth that barnacles produced geese, and this meaning is retained in its rare modern usage.