'antibubonic' is a Modern English compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'bubonic' (relating to 'bubo').

'bubonic' derives from Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'bubonicus', ultimately from Greek 'boubōn' (βουβών) meaning 'groin, swollen gland'; 'boubōn' gave rise to Latin/Medieval forms and the English 'bubonic', which was later combined with the productive prefix 'anti-' to form 'antibubonic'.

Originally related to the physical 'bubo' (a swollen lymph node), the element 'bubonic' came to denote the disease (bubonic plague); consequently 'antibubonic' came to mean 'against or preventing the bubonic plague' rather than simply 'against a swelling'.