'anthracene-laden' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'anthracene' and 'laden', where 'anthracene' ultimately derives from Greek 'anthrax' (meaning 'coal') combined with the chemical suffix '-ene' and 'laden' comes from Old English 'hladan' meaning 'to load'.

'anthracene' was coined in 19th-century chemical nomenclature (named from coal-tar sources with reference to Greek 'anthrax'); 'laden' evolved from Old English 'hladan' to Middle English forms such as 'ladden'/'laden' and then to modern 'laden'; the compound 'anthracene-laden' formed in modern English by combining the substance name with the adjective 'laden'.

Individually, 'anthracene' originally referred to a coal-derived hydrocarbon and 'laden' meant 'loaded' or 'burdened'; together the compound has the specific modern meaning 'loaded with or contaminated by anthracene'.