'anti-abolition' originates from the English prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'abolition', which itself comes from Late Latin 'abolitio' meaning 'a doing away' or 'removal'.

'abolition' entered English via Old French 'abolicion' and Late Latin 'abolitio' (from Latin 'abolēre' / 'abolere' meaning 'to destroy or do away with'), and the productive English prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) was attached to form the compound 'anti-abolition'.

Initially, 'abolition' meant the act of doing away with or ending something; over time it acquired strong political connotations (notably the ending of slavery). 'Anti-abolition' therefore came to mean specifically opposition to such acts of ending, especially in political contexts.