'de-automate' originates from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'reverse' or 'remove' and 'automate' from 'automation', which is derived from Greek 'automatos' meaning 'self-acting'.

'automate' transformed from the Greek word 'automatos' and eventually became the modern English word 'automate'. The prefix 'de-' was added to form 'de-automate'.

Initially, 'automate' meant 'to make a process self-operating', and 'de-automate' evolved to mean 'to reverse this process'.