Meaning

noun a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

noun an interruption in the intensity or amount of something

noun a warrant granting postponement (usually to postpone the execution of the death sentence)

originFirst use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise. The sense has become generalized, but does retain connotations of punishment and execution. The noun's first use appears c. 1592.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0