'anti-chlorotic' originates from Modern English, formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') plus 'chlorotic', ultimately from Greek 'khlōros' meaning 'green' or 'pale green'.

'anti-chlorotic' developed from Neo-Latin/medical formations such as 'chlorosis' (from Greek 'khlōros') and the adjective 'chloroticus'; the combined form 'anti-chlorotic' appears in 19th-century English medical usage to denote remedies against chlorosis.

Initially it referred specifically to remedies or agents 'against chlorosis' (a condition of paleness/greenish lack of pigment or anemia); over time it has been used more generally for agents that prevent or cure chlorosis/anaemia or are restorative.