'anilopyrine' originates from International Scientific Vocabulary, formed from 'anil-' (relating to 'aniline') and '-pyrine' (as in 'antipyrine'), indicating a derivative of the antipyrine class.

'anilopyrine' appeared in early 20th-century pharmacology to name a specific antipyrine derivative and has largely been superseded by the name 'aminopyrine'.

Initially, it named a specific analgesic–antipyretic compound; today it survives chiefly as an alternative or historical name for 'aminopyrine'.