'brutalise' originates from English formation based on the adjective 'brutal', which ultimately comes from Latin 'brutus' where 'brutus' meant 'heavy, dull, stupid'.

'brutalise' developed from the 19th-century English verb 'brutalize' (formed from 'brutal' + the verb-forming suffix '-ize'/'-ise'); the British spelling 'brutalise' reflects the -ise/-ize orthographic variation.

Initially, it meant 'to make like a brute' or 'render brutish', and over time it evolved to its modern senses of 'to treat cruelly or violently' and 'to make coarse or uncivilized'.