'ant-resistant' is a modern English compound formed from the noun 'ant' and the adjective 'resistant'. 'Resistant' comes from Latin 'resistere' via Old French 'resister', where 're-' meant 'again' or 'back' and 'sistere' (from sistere) meant 'to stand'.

'resistant' developed from Latin 'resistere' to Old French 'resister' and entered Middle English as 'resisten(t)', eventually becoming the modern adjective 'resistant'. 'ant' comes from Old English 'ǣmette' (from Proto-Germanic), and the compound 'ant-resistant' arose in modern English by combining these elements to describe material or objects that resist ants.

Initially, 'resistant' carried the sense 'standing back' or 'opposing', and over time it evolved into the general sense 'not affected by' or 'able to withstand', which is its current meaning in 'ant-resistant'.