Resile comes from Latin resilire ('to leap back, recoil'), from re- ('back') + salire ('to leap, jump'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As a verb, it means "to draw back from an agreement or commitment; to spring back", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Latin resilire, Latin salire, and Proto-Indo-European *sel-. Derivative forms include resilience, resilient; related words include resilient, resilience, salient, assail.