'anchitheriid' originates from New Latin, specifically the family name 'Anchitheriidae', where 'Anchitherium' (the type genus) comes from Greek elements 'ankhi-' meaning 'near' and 'therion' meaning 'beast', and the suffix '-idae' denotes a family.

'anchitheriid' changed from the New Latin family name 'Anchitheriidae' (used in scientific classification) and was adopted into English as 'anchitheriid' to denote a member of that family.

Initially the root name 'Anchitherium' was coined as a genus name meaning 'near beast' in Greek; over time the derived family name 'Anchitheriidae' and the English form 'anchitheriid' came to be used specifically for the extinct group of three‑toed horses.