'anthocyanidin' originates from Modern Latin/Greek roots: specifically from Greek 'anthos' meaning 'flower' and 'kyanos' (via Latin/modern formation) meaning 'dark blue', combined with the chemical suffix '-idin' used to form names of related compounds.

'anthocyanidin' developed from the name 'anthocyanin' (coined in the 19th century for glycosylated pigments), with the later formation 'anthocyanidin' used to denote the aglycone (non‑sugar) form; the modern English term arose through scientific usage in organic chemistry and plant chemistry literature.

Initially the root terms referred broadly to 'flower' and 'blue' pigments; over time the word came to denote specifically the aglycone forms of anthocyanin molecules rather than any blue pigment in general.