'antirust' originates from Greek prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' combined with Old English 'rust' meaning 'rust'.

'antirust' was formed in modern English by combining the prefix 'anti-' with the word 'rust'; it appears in technical and commercial usage from roughly the 19th–20th century onward as protective treatments became common.

Initially it literally meant 'against rust'; over time it came to be used both as an adjective meaning 'preventing rust' and as a noun referring to agents or coatings that prevent rust.