'desensitize' originates from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'removal' and the word 'sensitize,' which comes from the Latin 'sensus' meaning 'feeling.'

'sensitize' transformed from the Latin word 'sensus' and eventually became the modern English word 'sensitize,' with 'de-' added to form 'desensitize.'

Initially, it meant 'to remove sensitivity,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.