'eviscerate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'eviscerare', where 'e-' meant 'out' and 'viscera' meant 'internal organs'.

'eviscerate' passed into English via Medieval/Modern French (e.g. French 'éviscérer') from the Latin 'eviscerare' and became the modern English 'eviscerate'.

Initially, it meant 'to remove the entrails (disembowel)', but over time it expanded to mean 'to remove essential parts' or 'to destroy/criticize severely' in figurative use.