'antispeculation' originates from Greek and Latin, combining Greek 'anti' (from ἀντί) meaning 'against' and Latin 'speculatio', specifically the word 'speculatio' (from 'speculari' and 'specere'), where 'speculari' meant 'to observe' and 'specere' meant 'to look'.

'antispeculation' is a modern English formation created by prefixing 'anti-' to the noun 'speculation'. The noun 'speculation' entered English via Old French from Latin 'speculatio' and related verbs (e.g. 'speculari'). Over time the combined form became used to denote opposition to speculative (especially financial) activity.

Initially, the elements meant 'against' (anti-) and 'observation/thinking' (speculation from Latin roots), but as 'speculation' came to be strongly associated with financial or risky investment behavior, 'antispeculation' evolved to mean specifically 'opposition to speculative (financial) activity'.