'enervate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'enervare', where 'e-' (from 'ex-') meant 'out of' and 'nervus' meant 'sinew, nerve'.

'enervare' passed into Late Latin and was later borrowed into English in the 16th century (influenced by French forms such as 'énervé'), becoming the modern English word 'enervate'.

Initially it meant 'to remove the sinew or nerve (literally)', but over time it evolved into the broader figurative sense 'to weaken or deprive of strength or vitality'.