'counter-decalogue' is a Modern English compound formed from the prefix 'counter-' (originating from Latin 'contra' via Old French 'contre', meaning 'against' or 'opposite') and 'decalogue' (from Greek 'dekalogos', literally 'ten words').

'decalogue' entered English via Ecclesiastical Latin 'Decalogus' and Medieval Latin from Greek 'dekalogos'; the productive prefix 'counter-' has been used in English since Middle English (from Old French 'contre'/'counter-') to form oppositional compounds; the compound 'counter-decalogue' is a modern formation combining these elements.

Originally 'decalogue' referred specifically to the 'Ten Commandments' (literally 'ten words'); when combined with the prefix 'counter-', the modern compound's meaning shifted to denote 'ten opposing or alternative rules' rather than the canonical commandments.