'degrease' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'de-' (from Latin, meaning 'remove' or 'away') and the word 'grease', where 'grease' referred to fat or oil.

'degrease' developed by combining the prefix 'de-' with Middle English 'grease' (itself from Old French 'graisse', ultimately from Latin 'crassus' meaning 'thick' or 'fat'), producing the modern English verb 'degrease'.

Initially, 'grease' referred to 'fat' or 'fatty substance'; over time 'grease' came to mean oily or fatty residue on surfaces, and 'degrease' came to mean 'remove such oily or fatty matter', a meaning that has been retained into modern usage.