'antifermentative' is a modern compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') and 'fermentative' (from Latin 'fermentare'/'fermentum' related to fermentation).

'ferment' comes from Latin 'fermentum' ('leaven, ferment'), passed into Old French and Middle English as 'ferment'/'fermente', and 'fermentative' developed as an adjective; the compound 'antifermentative' is a later English formation using the productive prefix 'anti-'.

Initially roots referred simply to 'leaven' or 'the process of fermentation'; over time adjectival forms described agents or processes related to fermentation. The compound 'antifermentative' came to mean specifically 'acting against fermentation'.