'anhima' originates from Portuguese, specifically the word 'anhima,' which in turn comes from Tupi 'anhum,' a name for a screamer-like bird.

'anhima' was adopted as a New Latin genus name 'Anhima' in zoological taxonomy and entered English as 'anhima'; the plural New Latin/English form became 'anhimae'.

Initially, it referred to a specific bird known locally in South America; in scientific and English usage it came to denote the screamer(s) of family Anhimidae, with the plural 'anhimae' referring to multiple individuals or kinds.