'anteropygidial' originates from combining forms in Neo-Latin/Greek: 'antero-' (from Latin 'ante' meaning 'before, in front of') + 'pygidium' (from Greek 'pygidion' meaning 'little rump') + the adjectival suffix '-al' (from Latin '-alis' meaning 'pertaining to').

'anteropygidial' was coined in modern scientific/technical usage by combining the preexisting scientific combining form 'antero-' with 'pygidium' (a term from classical Greek/Latin anatomy) to create an English adjective used in zoological descriptions.

Initially formed as a literal compound meaning 'pertaining to the front of the pygidium'; this technical sense has remained stable and is still used in specialized anatomical and taxonomic descriptions.