'anti-papal' is a compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'papal'. 'anti-' originates from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against', and 'papal' derives from Late Latin 'papa' (from Greek 'pappas') meaning 'pope'.

'papal' developed from Late Latin 'papa'/'pāpalis' into Old French and then Middle English as 'papal', and the productive prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) has been added in Modern English to create 'anti-papal'.

Originally the elements meant 'against' + 'pope'; the combined term has retained that sense and is used to describe opposition to the pope or papal authority.