'anticarnivorous' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'carnivorous', which comes from Latin 'carnivorus' where 'caro/carnis' meant 'flesh' and 'vorare' meant 'to devour'.

'carnivorous' entered English via Latin/Medieval Latin 'carnivorus' (from 'caro' + 'vorare') and became the Modern English 'carnivorous'; the productive prefix 'anti-' was then attached in Modern English to form 'anticarnivorous'.

Initially the root 'carnivorous' meant 'flesh-eating'; the combined form 'anticarnivorous' evolved to mean 'opposed to flesh-eating' or 'against eating meat'.