'antilope' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'antilope' (borrowed into English), where its exact original roots are uncertain but the form was taken via Old French and Late Latin from Greek.

'antilope' changed from Old French 'antelope' and Late Latin 'antylōps' (or 'antylopas'), which in turn came from Greek 'antílōps' (ἀντίλοψ), and eventually stabilized as the modern English word 'antelope'.

Initially it referred (in ancient and medieval sources) to a possibly fabled or unfamiliar horned animal; over time it came to mean the real, deer-like ruminant known today as an 'antelope'.