'antiinsurrectionist' originates from Greek and Latin elements: specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') meaning 'against' and the noun 'insurrection' (from Latin 'insurrectio').

'insurrection' ultimately comes from Latin 'insurgere' ('in-' + 'surgere' meaning 'to rise'), passed into Old French and Middle English as 'insurrection', and the modern compound formed by adding the prefix 'anti-' to yield 'anti-insurrection' and the agent suffix '-ist' to form 'antiinsurrectionist'.

Initially the parts expressed 'against rising up'; over time the compound came to mean 'a person who opposes or works against an insurrection'.