'anisaldehyde' is a modern chemical formation combining 'anis-' (from 'anise') and 'aldehyde'. The prefix 'anis-' refers to anise (the plant/oil) and 'aldehyde' denotes the class of organic compounds.

'anisaldehyde' was formed in modern chemical nomenclature by joining 'anise' (from Latin 'anisum' < Greek 'ἄνησον / anēson') with the term 'aldehyde' (coined in the 19th century from the phrase 'alcohol dehydrogenatus'). Over time the name came to refer specifically to methoxy-substituted benzaldehydes derived from anise-like oils.

Initially the elements of the word referred literally to an 'aldehyde related to anise' (an aldehyde found in or derived from anise oil); it has evolved into the specific chemical name for methoxybenzaldehyde isomers used in chemistry and industry.