'antigonorrheic' originates from Greek combining form 'anti-' (meaning 'against') and the word 'gonorrhea' (from Greek 'gonorrhoia'), with the adjectival suffix '-ic' from Greek/Latin.

'gonorrhea' comes from Greek 'gonorrhoia' ('gono-' = 'seed', 'rhoia' = 'flow'), passed into Latin/Medieval Latin as 'gonorrhoea' and into modern English as 'gonorrhea'; 'anti-' is from Greek 'anti' and the adjective-forming '-ic' comes via Latin '-icus' to English, producing 'antigonorrheic'.

Initially the Greek term 'gonorrhoia' literally meant 'flow of seed' (reflecting ancient beliefs about the disease); over time it came to denote the specific venereal disease causing purulent discharge, and 'antigonorrheic' came to mean 'against gonorrhea'.