'decontextualize' originates from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'remove' and 'contextualize' from 'context,' which comes from Latin 'contextus,' meaning 'a joining together.'

'contextus' transformed into the English word 'context,' and eventually 'contextualize' was formed by adding the suffix '-ize.' The prefix 'de-' was later added to form 'decontextualize.'

Initially, it meant 'to remove from context,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.