'antisudorific' originates from Modern Latin/Neo-Latin medical formation, specifically built from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek/Latin) meaning 'against' and the Latin root 'sudor' meaning 'sweat', with the suffix '-ific' (from Latin '‑ficus'/'facere') implying 'making' or 'producing' (here indicating an agent related to the action).

'antisudorific' was formed by analogy with 'sudorific' (from Latin 'sudorificus', 'sudor' + '-ficus', meaning 'producing sweat') and the addition of the prefix 'anti-' to indicate opposition; 'sudorificus' entered English as 'sudorific', and subsequently the compound 'antisudorific' was coined in medical contexts.

Initially elements referred to 'producing sweat' (via 'sudorificus'), but with the prefix 'anti-' the compound came to mean 'opposing or preventing sweating' (the modern meaning).