'devolatilisation' originates from Modern English, formed from the prefix 'de-' + the adjective 'volatile' + the suffix '-isation', where 'de-' meant 'removal' or 'reversal' and 'volatile' ultimately comes from Latin 'volatilis' meaning 'flying' or 'fleeting'.

'volatile' comes from Latin 'volatilis' (meaning 'flying, fleeting'), passed into Old French and then Middle English as 'volatile'. The verb/formation patterns using the prefix 'de-' plus a base and the nominalizing suffix '-isation' are Modern English formations influenced by French '-isation' and Latin word-building; these combined elements produced 'devolatilisation'.

Initially, elements meant 'removal' (de-) and 'fleeting or easily vaporized' (volatile), so the combined term has meant the removal of volatile components since its formation; its technical usage has become more specialized in chemistry and materials processing.