'denude' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'denudare,' where 'de-' meant 'off, away' and 'nudare' (from 'nudus') meant 'naked'.

'denude' changed from the Latin word 'denudare' and passed into Romance languages (e.g. French 'dénuder') before being adopted into English as 'denude' in the 17th century.

Initially it meant 'to make naked' (literally 'to strip naked'), but over time it evolved into the current broader meaning 'to strip of covering or vegetation; to expose'.