'anhydrate' originates from scientific English via Greek, specifically the prefix 'an-' meaning 'without' and the root from Greek 'hydōr' meaning 'water'.

'anhydrate' was formed in English by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'an-' with 'hydrate' (from French 'hydrater' < Greek 'hydōr'), and it eventually became the modern English word 'anhydrate'.

Initially, it meant 'to remove water; to make anhydrous', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.