'archdeaconship' originates from the combination of the noun 'archdeacon' and the suffix '-ship'. 'archdeacon' comes from Late Latin 'archidiaconus' via Old French (or Medieval Latin), which in turn derives from Greek 'arkhidiakonos' where the prefix 'arkhi-' meant 'chief' and 'diakonos' meant 'servant' or 'deacon'. The suffix '-ship' originates from Old English 'scipe' meaning 'state, condition, quality, office'.

'archdeaconship' developed in English by attaching the native suffix '-ship' to the ecclesiastical title 'archdeacon' (which passed into English from Late Latin/Old French through Medieval Latin). Middle English forms show combinations like 'archidiacon(s)ship' or similar spellings that eventually standardized to modern 'archdeaconship'.

Initially the elements meant 'chief deacon' (for 'archdeacon') plus 'state/office' (for '-ship'); over time the compound has consistently come to mean the office, jurisdiction, or dignity associated with an archdeacon, a usage that has remained largely stable.