'anthropophage' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anthropophagos', where 'anthrōpos' meant 'human' and 'phagein' meant 'to eat'.

'anthropophagos' passed into Late Latin as 'anthropophagus' and then into English (via Medieval/Modern Latin and occasional French influence) as 'anthropophage'.

Initially, it meant 'human-eater' in a literal sense, and this core meaning has remained largely unchanged, though modern use is often literary or technical.