'anticorrosively' originates from Modern English, formed from the adjective 'anticorrosive' (anti- + 'corrosive') with the adverbial suffix '-ly'. 'Anti-' comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against', and 'corrosive' traces to Latin 'corrodere' (to gnaw) via 'corrode'.

'corrodere' (Latin) meaning 'to gnaw' passed into Old French as 'corroder' and Middle English as 'corroden'/'corrode', giving English 'corrode' and adjective 'corrosive'. The prefix 'anti-' was combined with 'corrosive' to form 'anticorrosive', and adding '-ly' produced 'anticorrosively'.

Initially related to the idea of 'against gnawing' or 'against wearing away' (from Latin roots), the term evolved to mean 'acting to prevent chemical deterioration or rust' and now denotes prevention or resistance to corrosion.