'anopheline' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Anopheles', where the Greek components 'an-' meant 'not' and 'ophelos' meant 'benefit' or 'help'.

'anopheline' changed from the Greek word 'anophelēs' (also written 'anōphélēs'), became the New Latin genus name 'Anopheles', and eventually evolved into the English noun/adjective 'anopheline'.

Initially, it meant 'useless' or 'harmful' in Greek, but over time it became a taxonomic name for a genus of mosquitoes and now denotes those mosquitoes or things relating to them.