'anglophilist' originates from combining forms derived from Greek and Latin elements: the prefix 'Anglo-' (ultimately from Latin 'Anglii', referring to the Angles/England) and Greek 'philos' meaning 'loving', plus the agentive suffix '-ist' (from Greek/Latin '-istes'), meaning 'person associated with'.

'anglophilist' developed as a variant of the 19th-century formation 'anglophile' (from 'Anglo-' + Greek 'phile'/'philos'), with the '-ist' suffix later attached to create 'anglophilist' meaning essentially the same thing.

Initially, the formation signified 'a lover or admirer of England/British things', and over time it has retained that core meaning as 'someone who likes British culture or the English.'