'anteambulate' originates from Latin, specifically the elements 'ante' and 'ambulare', where 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'ambulare' meant 'to walk'.

'anteambulate' derives from Late Latin formation (compare 'anteambulare') and was formed in English by combining the Latin elements to yield the modern English verb 'anteambulate' (used rarely/archaically from the 17th–19th centuries).

Initially it meant 'to walk before' (literally 'walk in front of'), but over time it came to be used more generally as 'to walk' or 'to walk about' in rare/archaic usage.