'archangelica' originates from Medieval Latin 'archangelica', ultimately from Late Latin/Greek elements related to 'archangel' (Greek 'arkhangēlos', meaning 'chief angel'), with the feminine suffix '-ica' used in plant names.

'archangelica' was used in Medieval Latin as a name for the medicinal plant (Angelica archangelica) and entered English botanical usage in the Early Modern period as the loanword 'archangelica'.

Initially it carried the sense 'pertaining to an archangel' or was associated with the idea of being 'angelic'; over time the word became specialized as the botanical name for a particular herb (the garden angelica) and as a common name for that plant.