'anti-parasitic' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'parasitic' from Greek 'parasitos' (meaning 'one who eats at another's table').

'parasite' comes from Greek 'parasitos' via Latin 'parasitus' and Old French 'parasite'; the prefix 'anti-' comes from Greek 'anti'. These elements were combined in modern English to form the compound 'anti-parasitic'.

Initially the components literally meant 'against a parasite'; over time the compound came to denote substances or measures that act against parasitic organisms (i.e., drugs or treatments).