'ortho-anisaldehyde' is formed from the prefix 'ortho-' (from Greek 'orthos', meaning 'straight' or 'correct', used in chemistry to indicate adjacent positions) plus 'anisaldehyde' (from 'anise' + 'aldehyde'), where 'anise' traces to Latin/Greek words for the anise plant and 'aldehyde' was coined in 19th-century chemistry.

'anisaldehyde' developed as a name for aldehydes related to anise oil (from Latin/Greek terms for anise) and 'aldehyde' (coined in German chemistry); the combining form 'ortho-' was later prefixed to specify the 2-position isomer, producing the modern compound name 'ortho-anisaldehyde'.

Originally the root name referred to an aldehyde derived from anise oil; over time the systematic prefixes (like 'ortho-') have been added to specify positional isomers, so the modern name denotes the specific 2-methoxybenzaldehyde isomer.