'archeion' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἀρχεῖον' (arkheîon), where 'arkhē' meant 'rule' or 'office' and the suffix '-ion' denoted a place or instrument.

'ἀρχεῖον' passed into Late Latin (as a conceptual source for terms like 'archivum') and into Old French/Medieval Latin forms that led to modern words such as 'archive'; the scholarly transliteration 'archeion' preserves the original Greek form.

Initially, it meant 'a public office or the official residence of a magistrate,' and over time the sense shifted toward 'a place where public records are kept'—the meaning behind the modern word 'archive'.