'anterior' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'anterior' (comparative of 'ante'), where 'ante' meant 'before' or 'in front of'. The full phrase 'anterior to the eye' is formed by combining this adjective with the prepositional structure 'to the eye' to indicate position relative to the eye.

'anterior' passed into English via Old French and Middle English from Latin 'ante'/'anterior'; the locational phrase 'anterior to X' is a later English construction using the comparative/adjectival form plus the preposition 'to' to express spatial relation, producing phrases such as 'anterior to the eye'.

Initially it expressed the comparative sense 'more before' (relative position); over time it generalized to mean 'toward the front' or 'situated in front of' in anatomical and spatial contexts, as in 'anterior to the eye'.