'reawaken' originates from the prefix 're-' meaning 'again' and the word 'awaken' from Old English 'awæcnan', where 'a-' meant 'on' and 'wæcnan' meant 'to wake'.

'awæcnan' transformed into the Middle English word 'awaken', and eventually became the modern English word 'awaken'. The prefix 're-' was added to form 'reawaken'.

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