'dewater' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de-' meaning 'remove, off') and the word 'water' (from Old English 'wæter'), where 'de-' meant 'remove' and 'wæter' meant 'water'.

'dewater' changed from the combination of the Latin prefix 'de-' plus the Old English/French-derived word 'water' (Old English 'wæter' → Middle English 'water') and eventually was coined in modern technical English as 'dewater'.

Initially it meant 'to remove water'; over time it has remained specialized but unchanged in meaning, often used in engineering and industrial contexts to mean 'remove water from (a place or material)'.