'deforest' originates from French, specifically the word 'déforester,' where 'dé-' meant 'remove' and 'forest' meant 'forest.'

'déforester' transformed into the English word 'deforest,' and eventually became the modern English word 'deforesting' through the addition of the present participle suffix '-ing.'

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