'refold' originates from a combination of Latin and Old English, specifically the Latin prefix 're-' meaning 'again' and the Old English word 'fealdan' / later 'fold' meaning 'to bend or wrap'.

'refold' was formed in Modern English by adding the prefix 're-' to the verb 'fold' (from Old English 'fealdan'), producing the sense 'to fold again'.

Initially, 'fold' meant 'to bend or wrap', and with the addition of 're-' the compound came to mean specifically 'to fold again' (the meaning remained literal and straightforward).