'archwench' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'arch-' (from Greek 'arkhē' via Old French/Latin usage) meaning 'chief' or 'principal', combined with 'wench' from Middle English 'wenche'.

'wench' changed from Middle English 'wenche' meaning 'a girl or young woman' and later acquired meanings 'servant girl' and then 'prostitute' or 'lewd woman'; the compound 'archwench' arose in Early Modern English as an emphatic/pejorative form and has since become rare or archaic.

Initially, 'wench' could mean simply 'young woman' or 'maid', but over time it evolved into a pejorative sense 'prostitute' or 'lewd woman'; 'archwench' meant 'chiefly wicked woman' and is now obsolete or literary.