'antiphon' originates from Late Latin, specifically the word 'antiphona', from Greek 'antiphōnía'/'antiphōnē' where 'anti-' meant 'opposite' or 'in return' and 'phōnē' meant 'voice' or 'sound'.

'antiphon' entered English via Middle English from Late Latin 'antiphona', which itself came from Greek 'ἀντιφωνή' ('antiphōnē'). Over time the term retained its liturgical sense of a responsive or alternating chant.

Initially it meant 'a responding voice' or 'response in song', and it has largely maintained that specialized liturgical meaning into modern English.