'antecoxal' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'ante-' meaning 'before' and the noun 'coxa' meaning 'hip' or the basal segment of an insect leg, combined with the adjectival suffix '-al'.

'antecoxal' was formed in modern scientific/entomological English by combining the Latin elements 'ante-' + 'coxa' + '-al' to create a technical anatomical adjective; it entered usage in 19th–20th century entomological literature.

Initially it literally meant 'before the coxa'; over time it has remained a technical anatomical term retaining that positional meaning in entomology.