'anti-bribery' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'bribery' (from the noun 'bribe' + suffix '-ery').

'bribe' appears in Middle English (from Old French 'briber' meaning 'to cheat or extort'), and the noun 'bribery' developed from 'bribe' + the noun-forming suffix '-ery'. The prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) was later combined with 'bribery' in Modern English to form the compound 'anti-bribery', especially in legal and policy contexts.

Initially the elements meant 'against' + 'bribe'; over time the compound came to mean 'measures, laws, or attitudes designed to prevent bribery' in contemporary usage.