'anorthoscope' originates from Greek, specifically the neo‑Greek formation 'anorthoskopos' (or 'anorthoskop-'), where 'an-' meant 'not', 'orthos' meant 'straight' or 'correct', and 'skopein' meant 'to look'.

'anorthoscope' was coined in the 19th century as a scientific/technical neo‑Greek formation (via modern Latin/Greek coinage) to name an optical instrument used to view anamorphic or distorted images; it appears in English technical literature describing devices that correct or restore distorted pictures.

Initially it meant 'an instrument for viewing distorted or anamorphic images so they appear normal'; this meaning has remained essentially the same in modern descriptions, though the term is now rare and chiefly historical or specialized.