'anti-spirochetal' originates from the prefix 'anti-' from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' combined with 'spirochetal', which is derived from Neo-Latin 'Spirochaeta' (from Greek elements 'speira' meaning 'coil' and 'khaite' meaning 'hair').

'spirochete' entered scientific English from Neo-Latin 'Spirochaeta' in the 19th century (from Greek 'speira' + 'khaite'); the adjective 'spirochetal' formed from that noun, and the prefix 'anti-' was later attached to form 'anti-spirochetal' in medical usage.

Initially the components referred literally to a 'coiled, hair-like organism'; over time the compound came to be used medically to mean 'acting against spirochetes' or 'effective versus spirochete infections'.