'arabisation' originates from French 'arabisation', built from 'Arab' (referring to the Arab people or Arabic) plus the suffix '-isation' (from French), used to form nouns indicating a process or result.

'Arab' itself comes into English via Latin 'Arabicus' and Old French from the name for the people/region; the suffix '-isation' comes from French '-isation' (from Latin/Greek formative elements such as '-izare'/'-izein'), producing the modern English-form noun 'arabisation' (and the variant 'arabization' in American English).

Initially it denoted the act or process of becoming or making something 'Arab' or 'Arabic' (in language, culture, script), and over time it has retained this core meaning while being applied in specific historical, linguistic, or cultural contexts.