'deboss' originates from modern English, formed by the prefix 'de-' (from Latin, used in English to indicate reversal or removal) + 'emboss' (itself from Old French 'embosser'), where 'de-' meant 'opposite/removal' and 'emboss' meant 'to raise a design'.

'emboss' came into English via Old French 'embosser' (to raise a boss or swelling). The word 'deboss' was later formed in English as an antonym to 'emboss' to describe making a sunken rather than a raised design; 'debossment' developed as the noun form describing the action or result.

Initially the related terms described making raised designs ('emboss'); over time 'deboss' and 'debossment' emerged to denote the opposite process—creating a recessed impression—while retaining the general semantic field of surface decoration or impressed marks.