'antefixa' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'antefixum', where 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'figere' (from which 'fix') meant 'to fasten'.

'antefixa' changed from the Latin word 'antefixum' and entered English via Medieval Latin and Middle English as 'antefix', with the Latin plural 'antefixa' sometimes used alongside the English plural 'antefixes'.

Initially, it meant 'something fastened in front (of a roof)'; over time it evolved into the modern architectural sense 'ornamental tiles or blocks fixed at the eaves'.