'arciliuto' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'arciliuto', where the prefix 'arci-' derives from Latin 'arcus' meaning 'arch' and 'liuto' is the Italian word for 'lute' (ultimately from Arabic 'al-ʿūd' via Medieval Latin).

'arciliuto' formed in Italian as a compound of 'arci-' + 'liuto'; the concept and instrument name were used in Italian musical sources and the instrument concept entered English and other languages as 'archlute' (17th century), while the Italian form 'arciliuto' remained in Italian usage.

Initially it referred specifically to the Italian instrument combining a lute body with an extended neck and extra bass courses; over time the basic meaning has remained — a lute-like instrument with an extended neck — though English generally uses 'archlute' instead of the Italian form.