'antenniform' originates from New Latin/Late Latin, combining the word 'antenna' (Latin) and the Latin suffix '-formis' meaning 'having the form of'.

'antenna' in Classical Latin meant 'sail-yard' (a spar for a sail); later the term was adopted in scientific Latin to denote the feeler of an insect, and combining it with '-form' (from Latin 'formis') produced 'antenniform' to mean 'having the form of an antenna'.

Initially, 'antenna' referred to a part of a sail in Latin, but over time it evolved in scientific usage to mean an insect's feeler; consequently, 'antenniform' came to mean 'antenna-shaped' rather than anything to do with sails.