'anhydridization' originates from English 'anhydride' plus the nominalizing suffix '-ization'; 'anhydride' ultimately comes via French from Greek 'anhydros,' where 'an-' meant 'without' and 'hydor' meant 'water.'

'Anhydros' in Greek gave Medieval/Scientific French 'anhydride'; English adopted 'anhydride,' after which the verb 'anhydridize' and the noun 'anhydridization' formed in modern scientific English.

Initially, it meant 'the making of a substance without water (forming an anhydride),' and it continues to be used with essentially the same technical meaning today.