'anosmia' originates from Modern Latin/medical New Latin, ultimately from Greek, specifically the Greek word 'anosmia' (ἀνώσμια), where the prefix 'an-' meant 'without' and 'osmē' meant 'smell'.

'anosmia' came into English via New Latin medical vocabulary from Greek 'anosmia' (ἀνώσμια) and has been used in medical English with little change in form.

Initially, it meant 'without smell' in Greek, and over time it has retained that core meaning as the medical term for loss of the sense of smell.