'antiantibody' originates from Modern English, formed from the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' and the noun 'antibody' (itself from 'anti-' + 'body').

'antibody' was coined in 19th-century immunology as a combination of Greek-derived 'anti-' and English 'body'; the compound 'anti-antibody' (later written without a hyphen as 'antiantibody') appeared in 20th-century scientific literature to denote antibodies directed against other antibodies.

Initially the components literally conveyed 'against an antibody'; over time the term came to specifically denote an antibody whose target is another antibody (e.g., anti-immunoglobulin reagents).