'immobilize' originates from French, specifically the word 'immobiliser,' where 'im-' meant 'not' and 'mobiliser' meant 'to move.'

'immobiliser' transformed into the English word 'immobilize,' and eventually became the modern English word 'immobilized' through regular verb conjugation.

Initially, it meant 'to make something unable to move,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.