'anthodium' originates from Neo-Latin (botanical Latin), ultimately from Greek 'anthōdion' (ἀνθώδιον), a diminutive of 'anthos' meaning 'flower'.

'anthōdion' in Greek was adopted into Neo-Latin as 'anthodium' for botanical use and then entered modern English botanical vocabulary as 'anthodium'.

Initially it meant 'little flower' (a diminutive of 'flower'), but in botanical usage it came to mean 'a flower head made up of many small florets'.