'anorexic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anōrexia' (ἀνορεξία), where the prefix 'an-' meant 'without' and 'orexis' meant 'appetite'.

'anorexic' changed from New Latin/medical Latin 'anorexia' (from Greek 'anōrexia') and was formed in English by adding the adjective suffix '-ic' to create 'anorexic'.

Initially, it meant 'loss of appetite' (the literal sense from Greek), but over time it evolved into its current medical usage referring to the eating disorder 'anorexia nervosa' and to describe someone affected by that condition.