'antiphony' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'antiphōnía' (ἀντιφωνία), where 'anti-' meant 'against, opposite' and 'phōnē' meant 'voice' or 'sound'.

'antiphōnía' passed into Late Latin as 'antiphonia' and then into Middle English/French forms such as Old French 'antiphonie' before becoming the modern English word 'antiphony' (with the plural 'antiphonies').

Initially it referred broadly to 'responsive or alternating sounding/voices'; over time it became more specifically used for liturgical responsive singing and musical passages featuring alternating groups.