'antitrochanter' originates from Modern Latin/Neo-Latin, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against' or 'opposite') combined with 'trochanter' (from Greek 'trokhantēr'), where 'anti-' meant 'against/opposite' and 'trochanter' referred to the bony prominence of the femur.

'antitrochanter' was created in anatomical usage by combining 'anti-' with the existing anatomical term 'trochanter.' 'Trochanter' entered English via New Latin (and through Medieval/Modern European anatomical terminology) from Greek, and the compound 'antitrochanter' arose later in modern anatomical descriptions (notably in comparative anatomy of birds and reptiles).

Initially the components meant simply 'opposite the trochanter'; over time the compounded term came to denote a specific pelvic bony projection (particularly in birds and some reptiles) that functions to stabilize the hip.