'anthropophaginian' originates from Late Latin/Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'anthropophaginus', where 'anthropo-' meant 'human' and the element from Greek 'phagein' meant 'to eat'.

'anthropophaginus' changed from the Greek word 'anthrōpopagos' and eventually entered English in forms such as 'anthropophagous' and 'anthropophaginian' in Early Modern English.

Initially, it meant 'one who eats humans' (or 'relating to human-eating'); over time the core meaning has largely remained the same, now often used adjectivally to mean 'cannibalistic' and occasionally as a rare noun.