'uninstall' originates from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' or 'reverse' and the verb 'install', which comes from Latin 'installare', meaning 'to set up'.

'installare' transformed into the Old French word 'installer', and eventually became the modern English word 'install'. The prefix 'un-' was added to form 'uninstall'.

Initially, 'install' meant 'to set up', and 'uninstall' evolved to mean 'to remove or reverse the setup'.