'antilysin' originates from Modern English/New Latin, specifically by combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí-' meaning 'against') and 'lysin' (from Greek 'lysis' meaning 'a loosening, dissolution').

'antilysin' formed in late 19th-century biomedical usage as a compound of 'anti-' + 'lysin' (earlier scientific texts sometimes used the variant spelling 'antilysin'), and the modern form 'antilysin' has been used in immunology literature.

Initially it referred to any agent or serum acting against a lysin (an agent causing lysis); the meaning has remained specialized but stable, denoting antibodies or sera that neutralize lysins.