'antisalooner' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-') meaning 'against', the noun 'saloon' (from French 'salon') meaning 'large room/public room' and the agentive suffix '-er' meaning 'person who'.

'antisalooner' developed in the late 19th to early 20th century in the United States in the context of the temperance and prohibition movements (e.g. the Anti-Saloon League). The element 'saloon' comes from French 'salon' and 'anti-' from Greek via English, with the agentive '-er' forming a noun meaning 'one who opposes saloons'.

Initially it meant simply 'a person opposed to saloons'; over time the term became associated more specifically with organized prohibitionist activists (and is now somewhat archaic or historical in usage).