'relabel' originates from Modern English, specifically formed by the prefix 're-' (from Latin 're-' meaning 'again') combined with the word 'label' (from Middle English 'label'), where 're-' meant 'again' and 'label' meant 'a tag or small strip used for identification'.

'label' changed from Old French/Medieval Latin words such as Old French 'label' and Medieval Latin 'labellum' (a diminutive of Latin 'labium'), and eventually became the Middle English word 'label'; later the modern compound 'relabel' was formed by adding the prefix 're-' to 'label'.

Initially, the element 'label' referred to a physical 'tag' or 'small strip'; over time the combined word 'relabel' evolved to mean 'to put a new label on' or 'to change the existing label', a meaning that remains in modern usage.