'antibody-mimicking' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'antibody' and 'mimicking', where 'antibody' comes from the prefix 'anti-' (against) + 'body' and 'mimicking' is the present-participle form of 'mimic' (to imitate).

'antibody' was coined in the late 19th century from 'anti-' (Greek-derived) + English 'body' (Old English 'bodig'), while 'mimic' derives from Latin/Greek via Middle French/Latin 'mimicus' from Greek 'mimos' meaning 'imitator'; these elements combined in Modern English to form the compound 'antibody-mimicking'.

Initially the components separately meant 'against body' (for 'antibody' in its immunological sense) and 'to imitate' (for 'mimic'); together as 'antibody-mimicking' the compound has come to mean 'imitating the function or binding behaviour of an antibody'.