'antheriferous' originates from a modern English/New Latin botanical formation, combining 'anther' (from Greek 'ánthēr' meaning 'anther' or related to 'flower') and the suffix '-ferous' (from Latin 'ferre' meaning 'to bear').

'antheriferous' was formed in English from the element 'anther' (from Greek 'ánthēr', via New Latin 'anthera') plus the Latin-derived suffix '-ferous' (meaning 'bearing'), producing a botanical adjective meaning 'bearing anthers'.

Initially the root referred to 'anther' or 'flower' (from Greek), but over time the combined form came to mean specifically 'bearing anthers' in botanical usage.