'retransmit' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'retransmittere,' where 're-' meant 'again' and 'transmittere' meant 'to send across.'

'retransmittere' transformed into the French word 'retransmettre,' and eventually became the modern English word 'retransmit' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to send across again,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.