'dehull' originates from a combination in English of the Latin prefix 'de-' and the native English word 'hull', where 'de-' meant 'remove/away' and 'hull' meant 'covering or shell'.

'hull' goes back to Old English and Middle English forms (e.g. Old/Middle English words related to 'hull' or 'hulle' meaning 'covering, husk'); the verb 'to hull' developed in English meaning 'to remove a hull', and the modern formation 'dehull' arose by adding the Latin-derived prefix 'de-' to indicate removal.

Initially it meant 'to remove the outer covering or shell', and that central meaning has remained essentially the same into modern usage.