'anthozooid' originates from New Latin/Greek, specifically from the Greek elements 'anthos' meaning 'flower', 'zoon' meaning 'animal', and the suffix '-oid' (from Greek 'eidos') meaning 'form or likeness'.

'anthozooid' developed as a compound in scientific New Latin formed from Greek roots ('anthos' + 'zoon') with the suffix '-oid', and was adopted into modern English scientific vocabulary as 'anthozooid'.

Initially it carried the literal sense of 'an animal like a flower', but over time it has come to refer more specifically to 'a flower-like polyp (usually a feeding individual) in colonial cnidarians.'