'saboteur' originates from French, specifically the word 'saboter,' where 'sabot' meant 'wooden shoe' and '-eur' is a suffix indicating an agent noun.

'saboter' transformed into the French word 'saboteur,' and eventually became the modern English word 'saboteur' through borrowing.

Initially, it meant 'one who uses a wooden shoe to damage machinery,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'one who deliberately destroys or damages something.'