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

'anthropophagos' passed into Latin and Medieval Latin as 'anthropophag(us/ous)' and entered English usage via Medieval Latin/Middle English, eventually appearing in forms such as 'anthropophagus' (singular) and 'anthropophagi' (plural).

Initially, it meant 'man-eater' (a being who eats humans); over time the core meaning has remained largely the same, though the term is now largely literary or archaic.