'anti-divorce' originates from the combining of the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'divorce'. 'Anti-' ultimately comes from Greek, specifically the word 'anti' where 'anti-' meant 'against', and 'divorce' comes from Old French 'divorcer' (from Latin 'divortium') where the root meant 'separation'.

'divorce' changed from Latin 'divortium' to Old French 'divorcer' and Middle English 'divorce'; the modern English compound 'anti-divorce' was formed more recently by adding the prefix 'anti-' to 'divorce' to indicate opposition.

Initially, 'divorce' meant 'separation'; the compound 'anti-divorce' has consistently meant 'against divorce' or 'opposed to divorce' since its formation and has retained that basic sense, though its usage varies by political and cultural context.