'anthralin' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ánthrax', where the prefix 'anthr-' meant 'coal', combined with the chemical suffix '-in' used for substances.

'anthralin' developed as a name from the chemical term 'anthracene' (from 19th-century chemical nomenclature) and later became the trade/chemical name for the dermatologic compound 'anthralin'.

Initially related to coal-derived aromatic compounds in chemical nomenclature, but over time it came to denote the specific therapeutic compound used topically for skin disease.