'anthraquinonyl' originates from modern chemical nomenclature, specifically formed by combining the noun 'anthraquinone' and the suffix '-yl' (a Neo-Latin/International scientific suffix meaning a radical or substituent). 'Anthraquinone' itself contains the element 'anthra-' from Greek 'anthrax' meaning 'coal' and 'quinone' coined in 19th-century chemical literature.

'anthraquinonyl' developed as systematic organic nomenclature evolved in the 19th and 20th centuries: the name formed by appending the radical-denoting suffix '-yl' to the established parent compound name 'anthraquinone', following patterns such as 'methyl' and 'phenyl' used for substituents.

Initially, elements of the name referred to the parent compound 'anthraquinone' and the general suffix '-yl' (a radical or substituent); over time the combined form 'anthraquinonyl' has come to specifically denote the anthraquinone-derived radical or substituent in chemical nomenclature.