'anthracene-substituted' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'anthracene' and the past participle 'substituted', where 'anthracene' ultimately comes from Greek 'anthrax' meaning 'coal' and the suffix '-ene' indicating an unsaturated hydrocarbon, and 'substituted' derives from Latin 'substituere' (with prefix 'sub-' meaning 'under' or 'in place of' and root 'statuere' meaning 'to place').

'anthracene' was formed in modern chemical nomenclature from Greek 'anthrax' ("coal") via Neo-Latin and became the name of the 3-ring hydrocarbon 'anthracene'; 'substitute' came from Latin 'substituere' through Old French into Middle English 'substitute'; the compound adjective 'anthracene-substituted' arose in technical English by combining the chemical name with the participle 'substituted' to describe derivatives.

Initially 'anthracene' referred to a coal-related hydrocarbon and 'substitute' to the act of placing in place of another; over time the combined phrase evolved into the modern technical meaning 'a molecule in which an anthracene group replaces (is substituted for) one or more atoms (usually hydrogen)'.