'anthrocosmic' originates from Modern coinage combining Greek-derived prefix 'anthro-' (from Greek 'anthrōpos' meaning 'human') and adjective 'cosmic' (from Greek 'kosmos' meaning 'order, world, universe').

'anthrocosmic' was formed in Modern English by joining the bound form 'anthro-' (from Greek 'anthrōpos') with 'cosmic' (from Greek 'kosmos' via Latin and French influences). The term appears as a specialist or philosophical coinage in the 20th century rather than evolving through older Middle English stages.

Initially used simply to combine the ideas of 'human' and 'cosmic' (i.e., 'relating to humans and the cosmos'). Over time it has been used primarily in philosophical, literary, or interdisciplinary contexts to denote either a human–cosmos relationship or an anthropocentric stance about the universe.