'antehistoric' originates from Latin and Greek elements, specifically the Latin prefix 'ante' and the Greek/Latin root 'historia' (via Latin 'historicus'), where 'ante' meant 'before' and 'historia' meant 'inquiry' or 'account (of past events)'.

'antehistoric' was formed in Modern English by combining 'ante-' (Latin) with 'historic' (from Latin 'historicus', via Greek 'historia'). The components 'ante-' + 'historic' produced the compound adjective 'antehistoric' with the sense 'before history' (parallel to 'prehistoric').

Initially it was formed to mean 'before recorded history' and this core meaning has remained largely stable, used interchangeably with 'prehistoric' though 'antehistoric' is less common.