'archbotcher' originates from the prefix 'arch-' (ultimately from Greek 'arkhi-' meaning 'chief, principal') combined with 'botcher' (from Middle English forms related to 'botch', meaning 'to mend or patch clumsily').

'archbotcher' appears in Early Modern English as a compound 'arch-botcher' (16th–17th c. usage) and later survived in scarce literary or dialectal uses; it never became common in modern standard English and is now considered rare or obsolete.

Initially it meant 'the chief or most notable bungler' and the core sense of 'extreme bungling' has been preserved, though the term has largely fallen out of everyday use.