'carbonised' originates from Modern English, specifically the verb 'carbonise', where 'carbon' meant 'charcoal' and the suffix '-ise' meant 'to make or become'.

'carbonise' developed from French 'carboniser' (formed in the 18th–19th century) and ultimately from Latin 'carbo' meaning 'coal' or 'charcoal'; the English noun 'carbon' came via Old French 'carbone'.

Initially it meant 'to convert into carbon or charcoal by heating'; over time this sense has remained but broadened to include 'to char or blacken by burning' in general usage.