'antilithic' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'anti-' and 'lithos', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'lithos' meant 'stone'.

'antilithic' was formed in New Latin/medical usage from the Greek elements 'anti-' + 'lithic' and entered English usage in medical literature (notably in the 19th century) as a technical term for agents or properties that prevent or dissolve stones.

Initially it literally meant 'against stone', and over time it evolved into the medical sense 'preventing or dissolving calculi' used in modern English.