'anosmic' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'anosmia', where the prefix 'an-' meant 'without' and the Greek root 'osme' meant 'smell'.

'anosmic' changed from the medical New Latin noun 'anosmia' (formed from Greek elements) and was adopted into English as the adjective 'anosmic' in modern medical usage.

Initially it meant 'without smell' (the literal combination of 'an-' + 'osme'), and over time it has come to mean specifically 'lacking the sense of smell' in medical and general usage.