'archimandrite' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'archimandrites', where 'archi-' meant 'chief' and 'mandra' meant 'enclosure, fold (often a monastery enclosure)'.

'archimandrites' passed into Late Latin as 'archimandrita' and then into Middle English as 'archimandrite'.

Initially, it meant 'chief of an enclosure or fold', and over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a senior monk or abbot in the Eastern Orthodox Church'.