'deletion' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'deletio,' where 'de-' meant 'down' and 'linere' meant 'to smear or erase.'

'deletio' transformed into the French word 'délétion,' and eventually became the modern English word 'deletion' through Middle English.

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