'archimedes' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the name 'Ἀρχιμήδης' (Arkhimḗdēs), where 'ἀρχι-' meant 'chief' or 'principal' and the element related to 'μήδομαι' referred to 'thinking', 'counsel' or 'planning'.

'archimedes' was borrowed into Latin unchanged as 'Archimedes' and entered English via Medieval Latin and usage in scholarly and scientific texts, retaining the original form as a proper name.

Initially it was a personal name meaning roughly 'chief planner' or 'master thinker'; over time it came to denote the historical figure and, by eponymy, various devices, principles, and geographic features named after him.