'anticarcinogen' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and the word 'carcinogen' (from New Latin/modern coinage 'carcinogen', ultimately from Greek 'karkinos' meaning 'crab' plus suffix '-gen' meaning 'producer').

'carcinogen' was created in modern scientific vocabulary from New Latin/Greek elements ('karkinos' -> 'carcin-') and the suffix '-gen', producing 'carcinogen' in the 19th century; 'anti-' was prefixed in Modern English to form 'anticarcinogen' to denote an agent acting against carcinogens.

Initially, 'carcinogen' referred to an agent that produces cancer; by combining 'anti-' with it, 'anticarcinogen' came to mean 'against carcinogens' and evolved to denote substances believed to prevent or inhibit cancer development.