'archdivine' originates from a combination of the prefix 'arch-' and the adjective 'divine'. The prefix 'arch-' comes ultimately from Greek 'arkh-' / 'arkhos', where 'arkh-' meant 'chief' or 'principal', and 'divine' comes from Latin 'divinus' (from 'divus'), where 'divinus' meant 'godlike' or 'of a god.'

'arch-' entered English via Old French and Latinized forms and was used to form compounds (e.g. 'archbishop'); 'divine' came into English from Old French 'divin', from Latin 'divinus'. The compound 'archdivine' appears in English in early modern or later literary usage as a formation combining these elements to mean 'chiefly divine' or 'supremely divine.'

Initially formed to convey 'chiefly godlike' or 'of supreme divinity', the sense has remained essentially the same though the word has been rare and is often marked archaic or literary in modern usage.