'antiperistalsis' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'ἀντί') meaning 'against' combined with 'peristalsis', which comes from Greek 'peristaltēs' meaning 'a contracting around'.

'peristalsis' came into English via Late Latin/Medieval Latin from Greek 'peristaltēs'; 'antiperistalsis' was formed in modern medical English by adding the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' to 'peristalsis' to denote motion opposite to the normal direction.

Initially, 'peristalsis' referred to the action of 'contracting around' (a wave of muscular contraction); over time 'antiperistalsis' came to mean specifically 'contraction waves moving opposite to the normal direction' (reverse intestinal movement).