'para-anisaldehyde' originates from modern chemical nomenclature combining the prefix 'para-' (from Greek παρὰ, meaning 'beside' or indicating substitution at the 4-position) with 'anisaldehyde', where 'anis-' traces to Latin 'anīsum' (from Greek ἄνησον, anēson) meaning 'anise', and 'aldehyde' derives from German chemical terminology 'Aldehyd'.

'anisaldehyde' developed in 19th-century chemical literature from 'anise' + 'aldehyde'; the full systematic name 'para-anisaldehyde' (often abbreviated p-anisaldehyde) arose as positional nomenclature (para-) became standard in organic chemistry, leading to the modern English chemical name.

Originally referring generally to an aldehyde related to anise or anisyl derivatives, it came to denote specifically the compound 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (the para isomer) used as a flavor and fragrance ingredient.