anti-labor

The word is a modern English compound formed by directly combining the classical prefix "anti-" with the noun "labor." The prefix "anti-" originates from the Ancient Greek preposition antí, meaning "against," which passed into Latin and then into English as a productive prefix for forming oppositions. The term "labor" comes from the Latin labōr-, the stem of labor (toil, distress, work), a word of uncertain Proto-Indo-European origin but deeply embedded in Western languages concerning work and effort. When combined, the morphemes create a transparent, literal meaning of "against work" or "against workers," which evolved in the socio-political context of the 19th and 20th centuries to specifically denote opposition to organized labor movements and the rights of the working class.

Structure: anti (against) + labor (work) - anti: From Greek via Latin, meaning "against" or "opposite". A prefix indicating opposition. - labor: From Latin labor (toil, exertion, work). The noun form retained in English.