'archchronicler' originates from Modern English as a compound of the prefix 'arch-' (from Greek 'arkhós') meaning 'chief' and the noun 'chronicler' (from Old French/Latin roots related to 'chronicle').

'chronicler' derives from Old French 'cronicle/cronicleur' and Medieval Latin 'chronica' related to Latin/Greek 'chronos' meaning 'time'; the prefix 'arch-' comes from Greek 'arkhós' meaning 'leader/chief'. These elements were combined in Modern English to form the compound 'archchronicler'.

Initially 'chronicler' meant 'one who records events in time'; combined with 'arch-' (meaning 'chief'), the compound came to mean 'the chief or principal recorder', a meaning that is a straightforward extension of its parts.