'anticlinorium' originates from New Latin, formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek anti- meaning 'opposite, against') plus Greek 'klínē/klinein' (to lean or slope), with the Latin-derived suffix '-orium' used to form neuter nouns.

'anticlinorium' developed in geological usage in the late 19th to early 20th century as an extension of 'anticline' (from Greek roots) with the '-orium' suffix to denote a place or complex; it was coined to describe broad anticlinal regions rather than single folds.

Initially it referred simply to a large anticline or area of upfolded strata; over time it came to denote a complex of subsidiary anticlines forming a broad, regionally significant upfold.