'anthropometric' originates from the noun 'anthropometry' + the adjectival suffix '-ic'. 'Anthropometry' ultimately comes from Greek 'anthropos' meaning 'human' and 'metron' meaning 'measure'.

'Anthropometry' entered English in the 19th century (via French 'anthropométrie' and New Latin formation), and the adjective 'anthropometric' was formed from that noun to mean 'pertaining to anthropometry'.

Initially it referred specifically to the practice or technique of measuring human bodies; it has retained that core sense but is now also commonly used adjectivally to describe data, methods, or designs based on such measurements.