'reinstall' originates from the prefix 're-' meaning 'again' and the verb 'install' from Latin 'installare', where 'in-' meant 'into' and 'stallare' meant 'to place'.

'installare' transformed into the Old French word 'installer', and eventually became the modern English word 'install'. The prefix 're-' was added to form 'reinstall'.

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