'anti-Blackness' originates from English, combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and the noun 'blackness' (from Old English 'blæc' + the suffix '-ness').

'anti-' entered English via Greek/Latin and later Romance languages as a productive prefix meaning 'against'; 'black' comes from Old English 'blæc' (meaning 'dark' or 'burned') which through Middle English became 'black', and adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' produced 'blackness'; these elements combined in modern English to form 'anti-Blackness'.

Initially, 'black' primarily described color or darkness (from 'blæc'), and 'anti-' meant 'against'; over time, combining them has produced the compound 'anti-Blackness', whose meaning evolved to denote social hostility and systemic oppression specifically targeted at Black people.