'archiepiscopality' originates in modern English formation from the adjective 'archiepiscopal' + the noun-forming suffix '-ity'; 'archiepiscopal' ultimately comes from Late Latin 'archiepiscopus' (from Greek 'arkhi-episkopos'), where 'arkhi-' meant 'chief' and 'episkopos' meant 'overseer' or 'bishop'.

'archiepiscopality' developed from Medieval/Modern Latin terms such as 'archiepiscopatus' and the adjective 'archiepiscopal'; English adopted 'archiepiscopal' from these ecclesiastical Latin/Greek roots and later formed the noun by adding '-ity' to denote the state or quality.

Originally the root elements referred to a 'chief overseer' (an archbishop); over time English formations using those roots have come to denote not only the person but also the office, jurisdiction, and abstract quality — hence 'archiepiscopality' meaning the office/jurisdiction or condition of being an archbishop.