'antipapistic' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'papistic' derived from 'papist' (ultimately from Latin 'papa' meaning 'pope').

'antipapistic' developed by combining 'anti-' with 'papistic' (related to 'papist'), where 'papist' comes from Old French 'papiste' and Late Latin 'papa' ('pope'); these elements combined in Modern English to form 'antipapistic'.

Initially it meant 'against the Pope or the papacy', and over time it has retained that core sense of opposition to papal authority.