'antilog' originates from Greek elements: specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' or 'opposite') combined with 'log' as a shortening of 'logarithm' (from New Latin 'logarithmus', ultimately from Greek 'logarithmos').

'antilog' developed as a shortened form of 'antilogarithm' in modern English. 'Antilogarithm' itself was formed from the prefix 'anti-' + 'logarithm' (New Latin), where 'logarithm' came from Greek 'logarithmos' (from 'logos' + 'arithmos').

Initially it referred primarily to the mathematical concept 'the inverse of a logarithm'; over time it has also come to be used figuratively to mean 'a counterstatement' or 'something opposed to a previous statement.'