'anti-emancipation' originates from Greek and Latin elements: the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') combined with 'emancipation' from Late Latin 'emancipatio', specifically from the Latin verb 'emancipare', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'manus' (in related roots) meant 'hand'.

'emancipation' changed from Latin 'emancipare' (to free from paternal or legal control) and Late Latin 'emancipatio' into Middle French and then entered modern English as 'emancipation'; the prefix 'anti-' was attached in English formation to indicate opposition, creating 'anti-emancipation'.

Initially, 'emancipare' and related terms often referred to the formal transfer or release from paternal authority or ownership; over time 'emancipation' came to mean freedom from slavery and broader social or legal liberation, while 'anti-emancipation' developed to mean opposition to those freedoms.