'antiphylloxeric' originates from a modern scientific formation combining the Greek prefix 'anti-' (from Greek ἀντί) meaning 'against' with 'Phylloxera' (the Neo-Latin genus name for the vine louse) and the adjectival suffix '-ic'.

'Phylloxera' is a Neo-Latin scientific name formed from Greek elements related to 'leaf' (phyllon) and was applied to the pest in the 19th century during studies of the Great French Wine Blight; 'antiphylloxeric' was later formed in English as a technical adjective meaning 'against Phylloxera' or 'resistant to Phylloxera'.

Initially a literal formation meaning 'against Phylloxera', it came to be used specifically in viticulture and plant pathology to describe plants or treatments that resist or prevent phylloxera infestation.