'antisimoniacal' originates from Greek and Late Latin, specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'simoniacal', which derives from Late Latin 'simonia' referring to the practice of buying or selling church offices.

'antisimoniacal' was formed in English by attaching the prefix 'anti-' to 'simoniacal' (from Late Latin 'simonia', itself ultimately associated with the name 'Simon' of Simon Magus). The element 'simonia' entered medieval Latin and then English as 'simony' and produced adjectives such as 'simoniacal' and the compound 'antisimoniacal'.

Initially, the term meant 'against simony' (opposed to the buying or selling of ecclesiastical offices), and this core meaning has remained largely unchanged.