'antehypophysis' originates from Latin 'ante' (meaning 'before' or 'in front of') combined with New Latin/Greek 'hypophysis', where the Greek elements 'hupo-' meant 'under' and 'physis' meant 'growth' or 'a growth (organ)'.

'hypophysis' comes from Greek 'hypophysis' and entered New Latin/modern scientific usage as the term for the pituitary gland; the prefix 'ante-' (Latin) was later prefixed in scientific terminology to denote the anterior portion, producing the compound 'antehypophysis' in modern anatomical nomenclature.

Initially formed to denote the part of the hypophysis located toward the front, the term has retained that specialized anatomical meaning and is used interchangeably with 'adenohypophysis' (the anterior pituitary) in many contexts.