'anthropos' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἄνθρωπος' (ánthrōpos), where the word meant a human being or person.

'anthropos' passed into Late Latin and Medieval Latin as 'anthropus' and later influenced New Latin and modern European languages; it became the basis for English compounds such as 'anthropology' and 'anthropomorphic'.

Initially it meant 'human being; man' in Ancient Greek; over time the core meaning remained but the form also came to be used as a combining element ('anthropo-') in scientific and scholarly vocabulary to mean 'human' or 'human-related'.