'anti-erysipelas' is a modern English formation combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') with 'erysipelas' (from Greek 'erysipelas', meaning 'a red skin eruption').

'erysipelas' entered English via Late Latin 'erysipelas' from Greek 'ἐρυσίπελας' (erysipelas); the compound 'anti-erysipelas' is formed in English by combining 'anti-' with that disease name.

Initially built from elements meaning 'against' + 'red-skin eruption', the compound has come to refer specifically to agents or properties that prevent or combat the disease known as erysipelas.