'antiglyoxalase' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against, opposite') + 'glyoxalase' (an enzyme name made from 'glyoxal' + the enzyme suffix '-ase').

'glyoxalase' was created by attaching the enzyme-forming suffix '-ase' to 'glyoxal' (a chemical name appearing in 19th-century chemical literature, itself built from elements referring to glyoxylic/oxalic chemistry); 'antiglyoxalase' is a later Modern English formation produced by prefixing 'anti-' to that enzyme name.

The construction originally simply signified 'against glyoxalase' and has remained a compositional technical term meaning an inhibitor or opposing agent of glyoxalase activity.