'antiportable' is a modern English coinage formed from the Greek prefix 'anti-' (meaning 'against' or 'opposite') + the adjective 'portable' (from Latin 'portare', 'to carry').

'portable' comes from Latin 'portare' ('to carry'), passed into Old French as 'portable' and into Middle English as 'portable'; 'anti-' is a Greek prefix adopted into English. 'antiportable' appears as a contemporary formation combining these elements rather than evolving through older stages.

The term originally simply signals opposition to portability ('against portability'); in modern usage it functions as an adjective describing objects or designs that cannot or should not be moved, and as a noun referring to that condition.