'anisoyl-substituted' is a compound formation from 'anisoyl' + 'substituted'. 'anisoyl' originates from New Latin/chemical coinage based on 'anisic' (from Late Latin 'anisum', from Greek 'ánison' meaning 'anise') combined with the chemical suffix '-oyl' denoting an acyl radical. 'substituted' comes from Latin 'substituere' (sub- 'under, in place of' + statuere 'to place').

'anisoyl' developed in chemical nomenclature from words for anise (Greek 'ánison' → Late Latin 'anisum') to 'anisic (acid)' and then to the acyl-form name 'anisoyl'; 'substituted' passed from Latin into Old French and Middle English (e.g. Old French 'substituer') and became the modern participial adjective 'substituted'.

Initially elements referred to the spice anise ('anis-') and the general sense 'to place in place of'; in modern chemical usage 'anisoyl' specifically denotes the methoxybenzoyl acyl group and 'substituted' denotes that such a group is attached to the molecule.