'antechamber' originates from French, specifically the word 'antechambre', where 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'chambre' meant 'room'.

'antechamber' changed from Old French 'antechambre' and Middle English forms such as 'antecamera' and 'ante-chamber', and eventually became the modern English word 'antechamber'.

Initially, it meant 'a room before another room'; over time it kept that literal sense and additionally developed the figurative meaning of 'a preliminary stage' or 'forerunner'.