'anserid' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Anseridae', where 'anser' meant 'goose' and the suffix '-idae' indicated a family (with the English formation producing an individual member as '-id').

'anserid' was formed in modern scientific English from New Latin 'Anseridae' (based on Latin 'anser') and the English/neo-Latin formation '-id' meaning a member or descendant, yielding the English noun 'anserid' for an individual of that family.

Initially, it referred to 'a member of the goose family' in scientific usage, and that meaning has been retained in modern English.