'anti-plague' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'plague'. 'anti-' originates from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against' or 'opposed to', combined with English 'plague'.

'plague' originates from Latin 'plaga' meaning 'blow, strike' and passed into Old French as 'plage'/'plague' and Middle English 'plague' before becoming the modern English 'plague'. The prefix 'anti-' was borrowed into English from Greek via Latin and French usage.

The component 'plague' originally referred to a 'blow' or 'strike' and later came to denote a widespread pestilence; combined with 'anti-' the compound has come to mean 'against plague' or 'intended to prevent or combat plague'.