Online Etymology Dictionary

resistance: early 15c., from Fr. résistance, earlier resistence, from L.L. resistentia, from L. resistentem (nom. resistens), prp. of resistere (see resist). Meaning "organized covert opposition to an occupying or ruling power" is from 1939. Electromagnetic sense is from 1860.
resolute: early 15c., "dissolved, of loose structure," from L. resolutus, pp. of resolvere (see resolution). Meaning "determined, absolute" is from c.1500.
resolution: early 15c., "a breaking into parts," from L. resolutionem (nom. resolutio) "process of reducing things into simpler forms," from pp. stem of resolvere "loosen" (see resolve). Originally sense of "solving" (as of mathematical problems) first recorded 1540s, that of "holding firmly" (in resolute) 1530s, and that of "decision or expression of a meeting" is from c.1600.
resolve (v.): late 14c., from L. resolvere "to loosen, undo, settle," from re-, intensive prefix, + solvere "loosen" (see solve). Same sense evolution as in resolution. The noun meaning "determination" is first recorded 1592.
resonance: late 15c., from M.Fr. resonance (15c.), from L. resonantia (echo) "echo," from resonare (see resound).
resonate (v.): 1873, from L. resonatum, pp. of resonare (see resonance). Literal at first; fig. sense, of feelings, emotions, etc., by 1978.
resorb: 1640, from L. resorbere "to suck back," from re- "back, again" + sorbere "to suck" (see absorb).
resort (n.): late 14c., "that to which one has recourse for aid or assistance," from O.Fr. resort "resource, help," back-formation from resortir "to resort," lit. "to go out again," from re- "again" + sortir "go out" (see sortie). Meaning "place people go for recreation" is first recorded 1754. The verb is recorded from c.1460. Phrase in the last resort (1672) translates Fr. en dernier ressort, originally of legal appeals.
resound: late 14c., resownen, from O.Fr. resoner, from L. resonare "sound again, resound, echo," from re- "back, again" + sonare "to sound" (see sound (n.1)). Spelling influenced by sound.
resource: 1611, "means of supplying a want or deficiency," from Fr. resourse, from fem. pp. of O.Fr. resourdre "to rally, raise again," from L. resurgere "rise again" (see resurgent). Resources "a country's wealth" first recorded 1779.
respect (n.): c.1300, from L. respectus "regard," lit. "act of looking back at one," pp. of respicere "look back at, regard, consider," from re- "back" + specere "look at" (see scope (1)). The verb is 1542, from the noun. Meaning "treat with deferential regard or esteem" is from 1560; respectable "worthy of respect" is from 1586 (implied in respected).
"I have certainly known more men destroyed by the desire to have wife and child and to keep them in comfort than I have seen destroyed by drink and harlots." [William Butler Yeats, "Autobiography"]
respective: 1525, "regardful, attentive," from M.L. respectivus "having regard for," from L. respectus (see respect). Respectively "relatively to each singly" is from 1626.
respiration: early 15c., from L. respirationem, noun of action from respirare (see respire).
respirator: 1836; see respire. Invented by British surgeon Julius Jeffreys (1800-1877).
respire: late 14c., from O.Fr. respirer, from L. respirare "breathe again, breathe in and out," from re- "again" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit).
respite: late 13c., from O.Fr. respit "delay, respect," from L. respectus "consideration, recourse, regard" (see respect).
resplendent: 1448, from L. resplendentem (nom. resplendens) "brilliant, radiant," prp. of resplendere "to glitter, shine," from re-, intensive prefix, + splendere "to shine, be splendid" (see splendid).
respond: c.1300, respound, from O.Fr. respondere "respond, correspond," from L. respondere "respond, answer to, promise in return," from re- "back" + spondere "to pledge" (see spondee). Modern spelling and pronunciation is from c.1600.
response: c.1300, from L. responsum "answer," prop. neut. pp. of respondere "to respond" (see respond). Responsive is from L.L. responsivus, from L. responsus, pp. of respondere.
responsibility: "condition of being responsible," 1787, from responsible + -ity.
responsible: 1590s, "answerable (to another, for something)," from Fr. responsible, from L. responsus, pp. of respondere "to respond" (see respond). Meaning "morally accountable for one's actions" is attested from 1836. Retains the sense of "obligation" in the Latin root word.
rest (1): "sleep," O.E. ræste, reste "rest, bed, intermission of labor, mental peace," from P.Gmc. *rastjo, *rasto. Original sense seems to be a measure of distance (cf. O.H.G. rasta "league of miles," O.N. rost "league, distance after which one rests," Gothic rasta "mile, stage of a journey"), perhaps a word from the nomadic period. The meaning "support, thing upon which something rests" is attested from 1590. The verb is O.E. ræstan, restan "to rest." At rest "dead" is from 1338. Rest room first attested 1899; rest stop is from 1973. Rested "refreshed by sleep" is attested from c.1400. Phrase rest you merry is from 1548 (God rest you merry, gentlemen, often is mis-punctuated). Colloquial expression to give (something) a rest "to stop talking about it" is first recorded 1927, Amer.Eng.
rest (2): "remainder," c.1420, from M.Fr. reste "remnant," from rester "to remain," from L. restare "stand back, be left," from re- "back" + stare "to stand" (see stet). Related M.E. verb resten (1463) is in rest assured.
restaurant: 1827, from Fr. restaurant "a restaurant" (said to have been used in Paris c.1765 by Boulanger), originally "food that restores," noun use of prp. of restaurer "to restore or refresh," from O.Fr. restorer (see restore). Restaurateur is 1796, from Fr. restaurateur, agent noun from restaurer "to restore," on model of L.L. restaurator "restorer."
restitution: c.1300, from L. restitutionem (nom. restitutio) "a restoring," from restitutus, pp. of restituere "restore, rebuild, replace," from re- "again" + statuere "to set up" (see statute).
restive: c.1410, restyffe "not moving forward," from M.Fr. restif (fem. restive) "motionless," from rester "to remain" (see rest (2)). Sense of "unmanageable" (1687) evolved via notion of a horse refusing to go forward.
restless: O.E. restleas "deprived of sleep," from rest (1) + -leas "-less." A general Gmc. compound (cf. Fris. restleas, Ger. rastlos, Dan. rastlös, Du. rusteloos). Meaning "stirring constantly, desirous of action" is attested from late 15c.
restore: c.1300, "to give back," also, "to build up again, repair," from O.Fr. restorer, from L. restaurare "repair, rebuild, renew," from re- "back, again" + -staurare, as in instaurare "restore." The Restoration in Eng. history was the re-establishment of the monarchy with the return of Charles II in 1660. As a period in Eng. theater, attested from 1898.
restrain: mid-14c., from stem of O.Fr. restraindre, from L. restringere "draw back tightly, confine, check" (see restriction).
restraint: "action of restraining," c.1400, from O.Fr. restrainte, prop. fem. pp. of restraindre (see restrain). Meaning "means of restraint" is recorded from early 15c.
restriction: c.1412, from L.L. restrictionem (nom. restrictio) "limitation," from L. restrictus, pp. of restringere "restrict, bind fast, restrain," from re- "back" + stringere "draw tight" (see strain (v.)). Restrict (v.) is attested from 1535; regarded 18c. as a Scottishism. Restricted "limited" is attested from 1830; of documents, etc., "secret, not for public release" it is recorded from 1944. In U.S., restricted was a euphemism for "off-limits to Jews" (1947).
Manager: "I'm sorry, Mr. Marx, but we can't let you use the pool; this country club is restricted."
Groucho: "Well, my daughter's only half-Jewish; could she go in up to her knees?"
Restrictive is attested from c.1400.
restructure: 1951, from re- "back, again" + structure (v.).
result (v.): early 15c., from M.L. resultare "to result," in classical L. "to spring forward, rebound," frequentative of pp. of resilire "to rebound" (see resilience). The noun is 1620s, from the verb.
resume (v.): 1404, from L. resumere "take again, assume again," from re- "again" + sumere "take up" (cf. assume). Resumption (1449) is from L. resumptionem, noun of action from resumere.
resume (n.): 1804, "a summary," from Fr. résumé, noun use of pp. of M.Fr. resumer "to sum up," from L. resumere (see resume (v.)). Meaning "biographical summary of a person's career" is 1940s.
resurface: 1886, "to provide with a fresh surface," from re- "back, again" + surface (q.v.). Meaning "to come to the surface again" is recorded from 1953.
resurgent (adj.): 1808, from obs. verb resurge "to rise again" (1575), from L. resurgere "rise again," from re- "again" + surgere "to rise" (see surge). Modern verb resurge (1887) is a back-formation.
resurrection: late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. resurrectiun, O.Fr. resurrection, from L.L. resurrectionem (nom. resurrectio) "a rising again from the dead," from pp. stem of L. resurgere "rise again" (see resurgent). Replaced O.E. æriste. Originally a Church festival commemorating Christ's rising from the dead; generalized sense of "revival" is from 1640s. Also used in M.E. of the rising again of the dead on the Last Day (c.1300). Resurrect is a 1772 back-formation. Resurrection pie (1869) was schoolboy slang for a pie made from leftovers of previous meals. Resurrectionist, euphemism for "grave-robber" is attested from 1776.
resuscitate: 1530s, earlier resuscit (late 14c.), from L.L. resuscitationem, from L. resuscitatus, pp. of resuscitare "rouse again, revive," from re- "again" + suscitare "to raise, revive," from sub "(up from) under" + citare "to summon" (see cite).
ret: "to soak," c.1440, probably from M.Du. roten (or an unrecorded cognate O.N. word), related to O.E. rotian "to rot" (see rot).
retail (v.): mid-14c. (implied in retailing), from O.Fr. retaillier "to cut off, pare, clip, divide," from re- "back" + taillier "to cut, trim" (see tailor). Sense of "recount, tell over again" is first recorded 1590s. The noun meaning "sale in small quantities" is from early 15c., from M.Fr. retail "piece cut off, shred, scrap, paring."
retain: late 14c., from O.Fr. retenir, from L. retinere "hold back," from re- "back" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "keep (another) attached to one's person, keep in service" is from mid-15c.; specifically of lawyers from 1540s.
retainer (1): "fee to secure services," 1453, "act of keeping for oneself" from retain (perhaps infl. by M.Fr. retenir, infinitive used as a noun). Meaning "fee paid to an attorney to secure his services" is from 1818.
retainer (2): "servant," 1540, from retain (v.). Meaning "dental structure used to hold a bridge in place" is recorded from 1887.
retake: 1436, "to take back," from re- "back, again" + take (v.). Meaning "to recapture" is recorded from 1645; sense of "to record a second time" is attested from 1962.
retaliate: 1610s, from pp. stem of L. retaliare (see retaliation).
retaliation: 1580s, from L.L. retaliare "pay back in kind," from re- "back" + L. talio "exaction of payment in kind," from talis "suchlike." Originally used both in good and evil senses.
retard (v.): late 15c., from Fr. retarder (13c.), from L. retardare (see retardation). The noun is recorded from 1788 in the sense "retardation, delay;" from 1970 in offensive meaning "retarded person," originally Amer.Eng., with accent on first syllable.
retardation: early 15c., "fact or action of making slower in movement or time," from L. retardationem, from retardare "to make slow, delay, keep back, hinder," from re-, intensive prefix, + tardare "to slow" (see tardy).
retarded: 1810, pp. adj. from retard. In childhood development sense, "mentally slow," attested from 1895 (cf. It. tardivi).