'disable' originates from Old French, specifically the element 'des-' (a variant of Latin 'dis-') combined with Old French/Latin-derived 'able' (from Latin 'habilis'), where 'dis-/des-' meant 'not' or 'undo' and 'able' meant 'capable' or 'able'.

'disable' changed from Middle English 'disablen' (influenced by Old French 'desabler'/'desabiller' formations) and eventually became the modern English word 'disable'.

Initially, it meant 'to make not able' or 'to undo ability'; over time it has retained that core sense but has broadened to include making machines or functions inoperative as well as causing physical incapacity.