'antemedial' originates from Latin, specifically the elements 'ante' and 'medius', where 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'medius' meant 'middle'.

'antemedial' was formed in Late/Modern Latin (as components like 'ante-' + 'medialis') and entered English via scientific and anatomical usage (19th century), keeping its compound structure.

Initially, it meant 'before the middle', and over time the meaning has remained essentially the same, used mainly in technical contexts (anatomy, entomology, pattern description).