'archiannelid' originates from New Latin 'Archiannelida', ultimately built from the Greek prefix 'archi-' (from Greek 'arkhē') meaning 'beginning, principal' and the New Latin/Latin 'Annelida' (from Latin 'annellus') meaning 'little ring'.

'archiannelid' was coined in modern taxonomic usage (19th–20th century) as 'Archiannelida' to designate a group of simple, tiny annelids; the term later fell out of favor as those taxa were reclassified within other annelid groups.

Initially, it meant 'the earliest or most primitive annelids'; over time the term's use narrowed and then became largely obsolete, now referring mainly to historical/technical mentions of such primitive annelids.