'anthraceniferous' originates from a modern English formation combining the chemical name 'anthracene' (from Greek 'anthrax', meaning 'coal') with the Latin-derived suffix '-ferous' (from Latin 'ferre', meaning 'to bear').

'anthraceniferous' was formed in English by joining the 19th-century chemical name 'anthracene' (coined from Greek 'anthrax' + the chemical suffix '-ene') with the Latin-based suffix '-ferous' (as in 'carboniferous'); over time this produced the adjective 'anthraceniferous' meaning 'bearing or containing anthracene'.

Originally the roots referred separately to 'coal' (anthrax/anthracene) and 'bearing' (ferre/-ferous); the compounded modern term narrowed to the specific chemical sense 'containing anthracene' rather than a general 'bearing coal' meaning.