'anybody' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'any' (from Old English 'ænig') and 'body' (from Old English 'bodig'), where 'ænig' meant 'any' and 'bodig' meant 'person, body'.

'any body' in Middle English coalesced into the single word 'anybody' in Early Modern English, and the plural noun form 'anybodies' developed by regular pluralization.

Initially, it meant 'any person', and this sense has largely remained; the plural 'anybodies' is used for groups of unspecified or ordinary people, sometimes humorously.