'anilinic' originates from Modern English/New Latin, specifically from 'aniline' + the suffix '-ic', where 'aniline' came from Portuguese/Spanish 'anil' meaning 'indigo', ultimately from Arabic 'an-nil' and Sanskrit 'nīla' meaning 'dark blue'.

'aniline' was coined in the early 19th century from 'anil' (Portuguese/Spanish) referring to indigo; the chemical name 'aniline' came to denote the amine obtained in relation to indigo, and 'anilinic' later formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ic' to create the modern adjective.

Initially, the root referred to 'of or relating to indigo', but over time it evolved to the current chemical sense of 'relating to the compound aniline or its derivatives'.