'embrittle' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'em-' (a variant of 'en-') meaning 'to make or put into' combined with the adjective 'brittle' meaning 'easily broken'.

'brittle' derives from Old English (e.g. 'brytel') and Middle English forms (e.g. 'brittel'), and the verb 'embrittle' was created in Modern English by adding the prefix 'em-' to 'brittle'.

Initially, 'brittle' meant 'easily broken', and 'embrittle' originally meant 'to make easily broken'; over time 'embrittle' also gained a figurative sense of making something rigid or less adaptable.