'archdeaconry' originates from Late Middle English, formed from the noun 'archdeacon' plus the suffix '-ry', where the element 'archi-/arch-' comes from Greek meaning 'chief' and 'deacon' comes from Greek 'diakonos' meaning 'servant' or 'minister'.

'archdeacon' came into English via Old French (e.g. 'archidiacre') from Latin 'archidiaconus', which in turn comes from Greek 'arkhidiakonos'; the Middle English formation added the suffix '-ry' to denote office or jurisdiction, eventually producing modern English 'archdeaconry'.

Initially, the components referred specifically to 'chief servant' (Greek) and denoted the clerical office; over time the resulting English word came to mean both the office/rank and the territorial jurisdiction associated with that office.