'anticholagogic' originates from Greek elements, specifically the prefix 'anti-' and the word 'cholagogos', where 'anti-' meant 'against', 'chole' meant 'bile' and 'agogos' meant 'leading or bringing forth'.

'cholagogic' derived from Greek 'chole' + 'agogos', passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'cholagogus' and entered English as 'cholagogue'/'cholagogic'; English later formed 'anticholagogic' by adding the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' to mean the opposite of 'cholagogic'.

Initially related to the idea of 'leading forth bile' (stimulating bile flow); with the prefix 'anti-' the compound came to mean 'opposing or inhibiting that action', which is its modern usage.