'antitradition' is a modern English formation composed of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and the noun 'tradition' (from Latin 'traditio').

'tradition' comes from Latin 'traditio' ('a handing over'), passed into Old French as 'tradicion' and into Middle English as 'tradicioun', eventually becoming modern English 'tradition'. The compound 'antitradition' is a later English formation using the productive prefix 'anti-'.

Originally 'traditio' referred to 'a handing over'; over time 'tradition' shifted to mean 'customs or beliefs passed down through generations.' 'Antitradition' therefore developed to mean opposition to those handed-down customs or beliefs.