'repaint' originates from the Latin prefix 're-' (meaning 'again') combined with 'paint.' 'Paint' comes ultimately from Latin through Old French: Latin 'pingere' (to paint) > Old French 'peindre'/'peint'.

'paint' changed from Latin 'pingere' to Old French 'peindre' (past participle 'peint') and entered Middle English as forms like 'peinten'/'paynte', eventually becoming modern English 'paint'. The prefix 're-' (Latin) was added in English to form 'repaint' and later the past/past-participle form 'repainted'.

Initially the components meant 'again' (re-) and 'to paint' (paint); combined they meant 'to paint again', and this basic meaning has been retained in modern usage.