The story
From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
deflate
de·flateToday it means: To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre. Full definition →