'aniline-repellent' is a modern compound formed from the chemical name 'aniline' + English adjective 'repellent'. 'aniline' ultimately derives from Portuguese/Spanish 'anil' (from Arabic 'an-nil', meaning 'indigo') combined with the chemical suffix '-ine'; 'repellent' comes from Latin 'repellĕre' meaning 'to drive back'.

'aniline' entered scientific English in the 19th century from French/Portuguese 'aniline' < 'anil' (Portuguese/Spanish) < Arabic 'an-nīl' meaning 'indigo'. 'repellent' developed from Latin 'repellĕre' to Old French and Middle English forms, arriving as modern English 'repellent'. The compound 'aniline-repellent' is a later technical formation in 20th-century English used in materials and chemical contexts.

Originally, the root 'anil' referred to indigo dye; over time 'aniline' came to name a specific aromatic amine. 'Repellent' originally meant 'that which drives back' and has retained that core meaning; combined, the compound denotes a material that drives back or resists aniline.