'anlaut' originates from German, specifically the word 'Anlaut', where the prefix 'an-' meant 'on/at' and 'laut' meant 'sound'.

'anlaut' was taken directly from German linguistic terminology into English usage (19th–20th century) without major change in form; the German 'Anlaut' continued to be used in descriptions of phonology and was adopted into English texts as 'anlaut'.

Initially, it meant 'sound at the beginning (of a word)', and over time it has retained this specialized meaning in both German and English linguistic contexts.