'antenna-bearing' originates from Latin 'antenna' and Old English 'beran' (via Middle English). 'antenna' originally referred to a 'yard-arm' or 'sail-yard' in Latin, while 'beran' meant 'to carry'.

'antenna' was a Latin word 'antenna' (yard-arm) that was later applied in scientific contexts to mean a sensory appendage; 'bear' comes from Old English 'beran' > Middle English 'beren' meaning 'to carry', and the present participle/form 'bearing' developed from these roots to mean 'carrying'. The compound 'antenna-bearing' was formed in modern English by combining the noun and the participle/adjective.

Initially, 'antenna' meant a sail-yard in Latin and 'bear' meant 'to carry'; over time 'antenna' came to mean the sensory appendage in zoology (and aerial for radio), and the compound came to mean 'carrying antennae' or 'having antennae'.