I am always astonished how many architects I meet who don’t know where the term comes from!
Way back when, wooden buildings were the norm for larger structures. They had issues such as rot and susceptibility to fire, but seemed to be the most available means of creating useful spaces with a reasonable amount of available material.
Stone was attractive because it was durable, non-flammable and available, but building large structures was near impossible because, as the size increased, the amount of stone, and the weight, increased as the cube of the dimensions. For a lintel across an opening, or a beam under a roof, the length was very limited before the weight became ridiculous and structures would collapse under their own weight. You could of course build a very large, almost solid, structure such as a pyramid, but that provided very little usable space for a huge investment of resources and effort.
Then someone invented the arch. This is very powerful, as the material doesn’t carry the weight, but transfers it downwards, finally to the ground. People who knew how to build arches became known as “architects”* and were sought after to allow the construction of large buildings (like courts, cathedrals, halls and civic buildings) and structures (like bridges, viaducts and aqueducts). Advantages included utility of the resulting structures, durability, reduction in materials required and elegance.
So, as architects, we should strive to deliver things of value and utility, with less resources, more quickly. The things we deliver should meet the requirements of their sponsors, delight their users, be durable and safe and make use of readily available resources. We could also add that the resources should be able to be replenished or recycled and that the result of our work should have minimum negative impact on its surroundings, while integrating seamlessly into its context. Finally, the inclusion of building in the scope means that the job is not done when the plan is drawn, but when the solution is delivered and usable.
*The word archi comes from the Greek arkhi and means a chief or leader. The tect part comes from the Greek tekton meaning builder. So an architect is a master or chief builder. There is also arc in Old English, meaning a curved or bow shape. Interesting that master builders also build bow-shaped arches!