'anthophilic' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'antho-' from 'anthos' meaning 'flower' and '-philic' from 'philos' meaning 'loving'.

'anthophilic' developed via scientific/technical coinage in New Latin/modern scientific English from Greek roots ('anthos' + 'philos'), related to forms such as New Latin 'Anthophila' (a group name) and English adjective 'anthophilous', eventually yielding the modern English adjective 'anthophilic'.

Initially it meant 'flower-loving' in a literal sense; over time it has been used specifically in biological and ecological contexts to describe organisms (especially insects) that visit or are attracted to flowers, retaining the core sense but gaining a technical usage.