'anticonvulsive' originates from the combining form 'anti-' from Greek meaning 'against' and 'convulsive' from Latin 'convulsivus', ultimately from Latin 'convellere' meaning 'to pull or tear away'.

'convulse' and 'convulsive' come from Latin 'convulsio/convulsivus' (from 'convellere'); the modern English adjective 'anticonvulsive' was formed in modern medical English by prefixing 'anti-' to 'convulsive' to mean 'against convulsions'.

Initially related to the Latin sense of 'a violent pulling or shaking', the element 'convulsive' came to describe violent involuntary muscular contractions (convulsions); 'anticonvulsive' evolved to mean 'acting against such convulsions'.