'rescale' originates from Latin and Old French roots: specifically the prefix 're-' (from Latin 're-') and the element 'scale' (from Latin 'scala'), where 're-' meant 'again' and 'scala' meant 'ladder/steps'.

'scale' changed from Latin word 'scala' into Old French forms (e.g. 'eschielle'/'escal') and later into Middle English 'scale'; the Modern English verb 'rescale' was formed by adding the prefix 're-' to 'scale' to mean 'scale again'.

Initially, 'scale' primarily meant 'ladder' or 'stair'; over time it came to mean a range, gradation, or system of measurement, and 'rescale' evolved to mean 'to change that scale' (i.e., adjust size, range, or units).