'anthologize' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the noun 'anthology' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ize' (from Greek/Latin through -ize), where Greek 'anthologia' meant 'a collection of flowers' (literally 'anthos' = 'flower' + 'legein'/'-logia' = 'a gathering/collection').

'anthologize' developed from the noun 'anthology', which entered English from French 'anthologie' and Late Latin 'anthologia', ultimately from Greek 'anthologia'. The verb form 'anthologize' was later created in English (chiefly 19th century) from the noun by adding the productive suffix '-ize'.

Initially, 'anthologia' referred literally to a 'collection of flowers' and by extension a 'selection' (especially of poems or passages); over time the sense broadened to indicate the act of compiling such selections, leading to the modern verb meaning 'to collect or include works in an anthology'.