'anopheline' originates from New Latin, specifically the generic name 'Anopheles', combined with the adjectival suffix '-ine' (from Latin/Greek) meaning 'of or pertaining to'.

'anopheline' was formed in English by deriving from New Latin 'Anopheles' (the taxonomic genus name, itself from Greek 'anophélēs'), then adding the suffix '-ine' to create an adjective/noun meaning 'relating to Anopheles' or 'a member of Anopheles'.

Initially connected to the genus name whose Greek root 'anophélēs' meant 'useless' or 'harmful', the modern term has come to mean specifically 'relating to or a mosquito of the genus Anopheles', especially in the context of disease transmission.