'orchil' originates from Medieval Latin/Spanish, specifically the word 'orchilla', where 'orchilla' meant 'a lichen used as a dye'.

'orchil' changed from Old Spanish 'orchilla' and Old French/vernacular variants such as 'orchile'/'archile' and eventually became the modern English word 'orchil'.

Initially, it meant 'the lichen or the dye obtained from it', and over time the meaning has remained largely the same though spellings and related words (e.g. 'orcein', 'archil') have varied.