'argil' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'argilla', which itself comes from Greek 'ἄργιλος' ('argilos'), where the root referred to a type of white clay.

'argil' changed from the Old French word 'argile' (from Latin 'argilla') and Middle English forms such as 'argile' or 'argyl', eventually appearing in modern English as 'argil'.

Initially it meant 'white clay' (a particular kind of clay), but over time it broadened to mean 'clay' or 'clayey earth' more generally in modern usage.