'archiater' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'arkhiatros', where 'arkhi-' meant 'chief' and 'iatros' meant 'physician'.

'archiater' changed from the Ancient Greek 'arkhiatros' into Latin as 'archiater' and was used in Medieval and Neo-Latin; English borrowed it (mostly in learned or historical contexts) from Latin.

Initially it meant 'chief physician' in Greek and Latin; over time the core meaning has remained, though the term is now chiefly archaic or historical in English, often referring to a court or royal physician.