'anthratriol' originates from modern chemical nomenclature combining the prefix 'anthra-' and the suffix 'triol'. 'anthra-' derives from Greek 'άνθραξ' ('anthrax'), meaning 'coal', which gave rise to 'anthracene'; 'triol' combines Greek 'tri-' meaning 'three' and the organic suffix '-ol' indicating an alcohol (hydroxyl group).

'anthratriol' was formed by concatenating the 19th-century term 'anthracene' (from Greek 'anthrax') with the alcohol-derived suffix 'triol', resulting in the systematic descriptor used in modern organic chemistry for tri-hydroxylated anthracene derivatives.

Initially, elements of the name referred separately to 'coal' (anthra-) and 'three alcohol groups' (triol); over time the combined term came to denote specifically an anthracene-based molecule bearing three hydroxyl groups rather than the literal senses of its parts.