'archcriminal' originates from the combining prefix 'arch-' and the English word 'criminal'. The prefix 'arch-' comes ultimately from Greek 'arkhós' meaning 'chief' or 'principal', and 'criminal' comes via Old French from Latin 'criminalis', from 'crimen' meaning 'charge' or 'crime'.

'arch-' entered English as a formative prefix (often seen in compounds like 'archenemy', 'archbishop') derived from Greek via Latin and Old French; 'criminal' entered English from Old French 'criminel' and Latin 'criminalis'. The compound 'arch-criminal' (often hyphenated) developed in Modern English by combining these elements to mean a principal criminal.

Initially the components meant 'chief' + 'person accused of a crime'; assembled as 'arch-criminal' the meaning has remained largely stable as 'the foremost or most notorious criminal', though the term is relatively rare and stylistically marked (often literary or emphatic).