'archiblastula' originates from Modern Latin (scientific New Latin), formed by the prefix 'archi-' from Greek 'arkhi-' meaning 'chief, primary' and 'blastula' from Greek 'blastos' meaning 'bud' with the diminutive suffix '-ula'.

'blastula' comes from Late Latin/Modern Latin 'blastula', derived from Greek 'blastos' ('bud, sprout') plus the diminutive '-ula'. The compound 'archiblastula' was created in scientific Latin by adding the Greek-derived prefix 'archi-' to 'blastula' to denote a primitive or primary blastula form.

Initially formed from components meaning 'primary' + 'little bud', the term evolved into a technical embryological name for a specific early blastula stage rather than a literal 'chief little bud'.