'antefebrile' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'ante-' meaning 'before' and the adjective 'febrilis' (from 'febris') meaning 'fever'.

'antefebrile' was formed in modern medical English by combining the Latin-derived prefix 'ante-' with the adjective 'febrile' (which itself comes from Latin 'febrilis' via Late Latin/Middle French), producing the clinical term used today.

Initially it meant 'before fever', and over time it has retained that specialized medical meaning of 'occurring prior to the onset of fever'.