'longbowman' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'longbow' and 'man', where 'longbow' meant 'a large, long-staved bow' and 'man' meant 'person or soldier'.

'longbowman' developed in Late Middle English from the compound 'longbow' + 'man'. 'Longbow' itself came from Old English elements 'lang' (later 'long') + 'boga' (bow), passing through Middle English 'longbow(e)' before forming compounds such as 'longbowman'.

Initially it meant 'a person who uses a longbow' in a military context; over time the term has remained largely the same in meaning but is now chiefly used in historical or literary contexts.