early 15c., denudacioun, "act of stripping off covering, a making bare," from Late Latin denudationem (nominative denudatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin denudare "to lay bare, strip; uncover, expose," from de "away" (see de-) + nudare "to strip," from nudus "naked, bare" (see naked). Figurative use is from 1590s. In geology, "erosion," from 1811.
