'animalivore' originates from modern scientific English, built from Latin roots: 'animal' meaning 'living being' and the combining form '-vore' from Latin '-vorus' (< 'vorare') meaning 'eating, devouring.'

'Animal' entered English via Middle English from Latin 'animal'; the combining form '-vore' was modeled on established terms like 'carnivore' (from Latin '-vorus'). The neologism 'animalivore' arose in technical and zoological usage to label animal-eating diets across taxa.

Initially, it meant 'an organism that eats animals,' and in modern usage it often serves to distinguish animal-eating in general (including insectivory, piscivory, etc.) from narrower senses of 'carnivore.'