'archvagabond' originates from a combination of the prefix 'arch-' (from Greek 'arkhē/archos') and the noun 'vagabond' (from Old French 'vagabond', ultimately from Latin 'vagabundus'), where 'arch-' meant 'chief, principal' and 'vagabond' meant 'wandering, roaming'.

'archvagabond' changed from the compound formation 'arch-vagabond' found in later Middle English/early Modern English usage (combining 'arch-' + Old French 'vagabond') and eventually became the modern English compound 'archvagabond'.

Initially, the components conveyed 'chief' + 'wanderer' (i.e. 'principal wanderer'); over time the compounded term has been used figuratively to mean 'an especially notorious or incorrigible vagabond or rogue'.