'anolyte' originates from modern scientific formation combining the word 'anode' (from Greek 'anodos', meaning 'upward path') and the suffix '-lyte' (from Greek 'lyein'/'lytos', meaning 'to loosen' or 'soluble').

'anode' was adopted into scientific English in the 19th century from Greek 'anodos'; the element '-lyte' entered English via terms like 'electrolyte' (from Greek 'lyein'). These elements were combined in 20th-century chemistry literature to form the modern English coinage 'anolyte'.

Initially it referred specifically to the solution adjacent to the anode; over time its use broadened to denote any anodic-compartment electrolyte or species associated with oxidation in electrochemical systems.