'de-escalate' originates from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'down' or 'away' and the word 'escalate', which comes from the Latin 'scala', meaning 'ladder'.

'escalate' was first used in the context of increasing intensity in the 20th century, and 'de-escalate' was formed by adding the prefix 'de-' to indicate a reduction.

Initially, 'escalate' meant to increase in intensity, and 'de-escalate' was coined to mean the opposite, to decrease in intensity.