Reluctant
mid 17th century (in the sense ‘writhing, offering opposition’): from Latin reluctant- ‘struggling against’, from the verb reluctari, from re- (expressing intensive force) + luctari ‘to struggle’.
wiktionary
From Latin reluctāns, present participle of reluctor(“to struggle against, oppose, resist”), from re-(“back”) + luctor(“to struggle”).
etymonline
reluctant (adj.)
"unwilling, strtuggling against duty or a command," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari "to struggle against, resist, make opposition," from re- "against" (see re-) + luctari "to struggle, wrestle" (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. The Latin word also is the source of Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.
Reluctant, literally, struggling back from, implies some degree of struggle either with others who are inciting us on, or between our own inclination and some strong motive, as sense of duty, whether it operates as an impelling or as a restraining influence. [Century Dictionary]
