'anthropophilic' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'ánthrōpos' and 'phílos', where 'ánthrōpos' meant 'human' and 'phílos' meant 'loving'.

'anthropophilic' was formed in New/Neo-Latin by combining the Greek-derived combining form 'anthropo-' (from 'ánthrōpos') with the suffix '-philic' (from 'phílos'); related English variants such as 'anthropophilous' have also been used, and the modern adjective entered English usage in scientific contexts.

Initially it meant 'loving or fond of humans' in a literal sense; over time its use narrowed in scientific and medical contexts to mean 'preferring humans' (for example, in describing feeding or host preference).