'anthoxanthin' originates from Greek roots 'anthos' and 'xanthos' combined with the chemical suffix '-in', where 'anthos' meant 'flower' and 'xanthos' meant 'yellow'.

'anthoxanthin' was coined in modern scientific/chemical nomenclature by combining Greek elements (anthos + xanthos) with the suffix '-in' to name a class of chemical pigments; it entered botanical and chemical usage in the 19th–20th centuries as a descriptive term for yellow plant pigments.

Initially formed as a technical name for 'yellow substances of flowers', it has retained that specific meaning and now denotes the class of yellow flavonoid pigments found in plants.