'aniconic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'eikōn' ('image; likeness'), combined with the privative prefix 'an-' ('without') and the adjectival suffix '-ic' (from Greek '-ikos', 'pertaining to').

'eikōn' passed into Latin as 'icon' and then into English 'icon'/'iconic'; English formed 'aniconic' by adding the Greek-derived prefix 'an-' to 'iconic', yielding the modern English word 'aniconic'.

Initially, it meant 'without images' in religious contexts; it broadened to its current use describing art, artifacts, or practices that avoid figurative depiction.