'anteater' originates from English, a compound of 'ant' + 'eater', where 'ant' referred to the insect (from Old English 'ǣmete'/'æmette') and 'eater' derived from Old English 'etan' meaning 'to eat'.

'ant' changed from Old English 'ǣmete'/'æmette' to Middle English forms such as 'amete'/'ant' and eventually became modern English 'ant'; 'eater' developed from Old English 'etan' through Middle English 'eten' to the agent noun 'eater', and the compound 'anteater' arose in English to name the animal.

Initially it meant 'one that eats ants', and this meaning has remained essentially the same in modern usage.