'anti-urease' originates from Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' and from the word 'urease', which itself is formed from 'urea' + the enzyme suffix '-ase' (the suffix '-ase' was modeled on older enzyme names such as 'diastase'), where 'urea' referred to the chemical urea and '-ase' denotes an enzyme.

'anti-urease' was created in modern scientific English by combining the productive prefix 'anti-' with the enzyme name 'urease'. 'Urease' developed in biochemical nomenclature from 'urea' + '-ase' (the '-ase' suffix entered enzyme naming in the late 19th century after names like 'diastase'), and the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-') has long been used in English to form words meaning 'against' or 'opposing'.

Initially the elements meant 'against' ('anti-') and 'urea-based enzyme' ('urease'); together they have been used in technical contexts to name agents that oppose or inhibit urease activity, a usage consistent with modern biochemical naming patterns.