'anethole' originates from French, specifically the word 'anéthole', which is derived from 'aneth', meaning 'dill', and the chemical suffix '-ole'.

'anethole' was borrowed from French 'anéthole', which itself comes from Latin 'anethum' (dill) and the chemical suffix '-ole', and eventually became the modern English word 'anethole'.

Initially, it referred to a compound derived from dill or anise, and it still refers to the same aromatic compound today.