'antichurch' originates from a modern English compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against, opposed to') and the noun 'church' (from Old English 'cirice', ultimately from Greek 'kyriakon').

'anti-' entered English via Latin and French from Greek 'anti-' and became a productive prefix; 'church' evolved from Old English 'cirice', borrowed from West Germanic forms ultimately influenced by Greek 'kyriakon (dōma)'. The modern compound 'antichurch' is a recent English formation using the productive prefix 'anti-'.

Initially, 'anti-' simply meant 'against' and 'church' referred to the Christian place of worship; over time the compound came to denote not just physical opposition but broader ideological or political hostility to church institutions ('against the church' → 'opposed to church authority and influence').