'anticytotoxin' originates from Modern medical formation, combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') with 'cytotoxin' (from Greek 'kytos' meaning 'cell' and 'toxikon' meaning 'poison').

'cytotoxin' derives from Greek 'kytos' ('cell') + 'toxikon' ('poison'), entered New Latin/medical Latin as 'cytotoxin,' and was later combined with the prefix 'anti-' in English medical usage to form 'anticytotoxin'.

Initially the components meant 'against' + 'cell poison'; over time the compound has come to denote a specific substance (typically an antibody or antitoxin) that neutralizes cytotoxins.