'archimycete' originates from Neo-Latin (scientific coinage), specifically formed from Greek elements 'archi-' and 'mykētēs', where 'archi-' meant 'chief, principal' and 'mykētēs' meant 'fungus'.

'archimycete' was coined in modern scientific (Neo-Latin) usage by combining the Greek roots 'archi-' (ἀρχι-) and 'mykētēs' (μύκητες) and entered English scientific literature as 'archimycete' and its plural 'archimycetes'.

Initially formed to convey the idea of a 'principal' or 'notable' group of fungi, the term came to be used more specifically for taxa regarded as primitive or basal within fungal classification.