'arch-hussy' originates from a combination of the prefix 'arch-' (from Greek, specifically the element 'arkh-' /ἀρχ-/, where 'arkh-' meant 'chief, principal') and the word 'hussy' (from Middle English 'husewif', where 'huse' meant 'house' and 'wif' meant 'woman').

'arch-hussy' changed as the Middle English word 'husewif' evolved into Early Modern English 'hussy' (meaning moved from 'housewife' to 'impertinent or immoral woman'), and the intensifying prefix 'arch-' (borrowed from Greek via learned Latin/Old French formations) was later attached to form the emphatic compound 'arch-hussy'.

Initially, 'husewif' meant 'housewife', but over time 'hussy' evolved to mean 'an impudent or immoral woman'; consequently, 'arch-hussy' came to mean 'an extremely impudent or shameless woman'.