'antebrachium' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'antebrachium', where the prefix 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'brachium' meant 'arm'.

'antebrachium' was used in Classical and Medieval Latin for the forearm and was carried into New Latin anatomical terminology; the English anatomical term derives directly from this Latin usage, with the plural form 'antebrachia' following Latin pluralization.

Initially it meant 'the part before the arm' (in the sense of 'the part in front of the arm' or 'forearm'), and over time it has remained a technical anatomical term meaning 'forearm'.