'p-anisaldoxime' originates from modern chemical nomenclature combining 'p-' (short for 'para'), 'anisaldehyde' and 'oxime'.

'oxime' entered chemical vocabulary in the 19th century from French 'oxime' (itself from German 'Oxim'), ultimately built from Greek roots 'oxys' meaning 'sharp' or 'acid' and the suffix used for nitrogen-containing derivatives; 'anisaldehyde' derives from 'anise' (Latin anīsum) + 'aldehyde' (modified from 'alcohol' + chemical suffix), and the prefix 'p-' is a contraction of 'para-' used in aromatic substitution nomenclature. Combining these parts produced the systematic name 'p-anisaldoxime'.

The term has consistently referred to the oxime derivative of p-anisaldehyde; its meaning has remained a specific chemical name rather than broadening into nonchemical senses.