'anticatalytic' originates from Greek elements, specifically 'anti-' and 'katalysis', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'katalysis' meant 'loosening' or 'dissolution'.

'catalysis' comes from Late Greek 'katalysis' and entered scientific English via Medieval/Modern Latin and French; the adjective 'catalytic' was formed from that noun, and in modern English the prefix 'anti-' was attached to produce 'anticatalytic' for technical usage.

Initially the Greek root 'katalysis' referred to 'loosening' or 'dissolution'; over time 'catalysis' came to mean the acceleration of a chemical reaction, and 'anticatalytic' evolved to mean 'opposing or inhibiting that acceleration'.