'anti-gonorrheal' originates from Modern English, composed of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'gonorrheal' derived from Greek 'gonorrhoia', where 'gonos' meant 'seed' and 'rhoia' meant 'flow'.

'anti-' entered English via Latin and Old French as a productive prefix meaning 'against'; 'gonorrhea' entered English via Medieval Latin 'gonorrhoea' from Greek 'gonorrhoia'. The compound 'anti-gonorrheal' developed in modern medical English to denote agents acting against gonorrhea.

Initially it literally meant 'against gonorrhea' and this core sense has been retained; it now commonly denotes a medicinal agent or an attribute effective against gonorrhea.