'anti-bank' originates from a combination of Greek and Italian/Old French elements, specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and the noun 'bank' (from Italian 'banco', via Old French 'banque'), where 'banco' originally meant 'bench'.

'bank' changed from Medieval Italian 'banco' (bench) and Old French 'banque' and eventually became the modern English word 'bank'; the prefix 'anti-' came from Greek 'anti' (against) via Latin and later usage in English to form compounds, and the modern compound 'anti-bank' arose in contemporary English to denote opposition to banks.

Initially the elements meant 'against' (anti-) and 'bench' (bank as a table or counter); over time 'bank' came to mean a financial institution, and the compound evolved to mean 'against banks' or 'opposed to banking institutions'.