'delete' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'delere,' where 'de-' meant 'off' and 'lere' meant 'to smear or wipe.'

'delere' transformed into the French word 'délétér,' and eventually became the modern English word 'delete' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to wipe off or erase,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.