'antihemolysin' originates from a combination of the Greek prefix 'anti-' and the Neo-Latin/Greek-derived word 'hemolysin', where 'anti-' meant 'against', 'haima' (Greek) meant 'blood', and 'lysis' meant 'a loosening or breaking down'.

'hemolysin' was formed from Greek elements ('haima' + 'lysis') into Neo-Latin/medical usage 'haemolysin'/'hemolysin', and the modern English compound 'antihemolysin' developed by prefixing 'anti-' to indicate a substance acting against hemolysin.

Initially, 'hemolysin' referred to a substance that destroys or breaks down blood cells; over time the compound 'antihemolysin' came to mean specifically an antibody or agent that neutralizes such hemolysins.