'antiphonic' originates from Greek, specifically from 'antiphōnos' / 'antiphōn-', where 'anti-' meant 'in return/against' and 'phōnē' meant 'voice' or 'sound'.

'antiphonic' entered English via Medieval/Church Latin (Medieval Latin 'antiphonicus' and Latin 'antiphona') and was used in ecclesiastical contexts to describe responsive chant; it later took on the broader adjectival sense 'relating to antiphony.'

Initially it referred specifically to a responsive chant or musical response; over time it evolved to describe any music, style, or effect characterized by call-and-response or alternating groups, and to function as an adjective describing that quality.