'antiscabious' originates from a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek/Latin), meaning 'against', and 'scabious', ultimately from Latin 'scabiosus' related to 'scabies' (meaning 'itch').

'scabious' comes from Latin 'scabiosus' (from 'scabies') and entered English as the adjective 'scabious'; the compound 'anti-' + 'scabious' was formed in English to mean 'against scabies', producing 'antiscabious'.

Initially it literally meant 'against scabies' in a medical sense, and it has retained that specialized meaning as 'preventing or counteracting scab/ scabies'.