'deification' originates from Latin, specifically the Medieval Latin word 'deificatio' (from the verb 'deificare'), where 'deus' meant 'god' and 'facere' (via the -fic- element) meant 'to make'.

'deificare' in Classical/Medieval Latin passed into Medieval Latin as 'deificatio' and then into Middle English as 'deification', preserving the sense of making or declaring divine.

Initially, it meant 'to make into a god' in a literal, religious sense; over time it also acquired a figurative meaning of 'to exalt or idolize someone excessively.'