'antilipase' originates from a modern compound formation combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') and 'lipase' (from Modern Latin/English 'lipase', where 'lip-' derives from Greek 'lipos' meaning 'fat' and the suffix '-ase' denotes an enzyme).

'lipase' comes from Greek 'lipos' ('fat') into New/Modern Latin forms and enzyme-naming conventions ending in '-ase', and the prefix 'anti-' (Greek) has long been used in English to form compounds meaning 'against'; these were joined in modern scientific English to form 'antilipase' (or hyphenated 'anti-lipase').

Initially the components meant 'against' and 'fat'/'enzyme' respectively; over time the compound came to denote specifically an agent that opposes or inhibits lipase activity rather than a general 'against fat' idea.