'recolour' originates from English formed with the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again') + 'colour' (from Old French 'colour'/'couleur', ultimately from Latin 'color').

'colour' came into Middle English from Old French 'colour' (or 'couleur'), which itself derives from Latin 'color'. The modern English verb 'recolour' is formed by adding the productive prefix 're-' to 'colour' to mean 'to colour again.'

Initially, 'colour' referred simply to hue or pigment; the compound with 're-' retained the sense 'to apply colour again' and is still used with that same basic meaning.