What does re- mean in Latin?

re-, a prefix, means “back, backwards; un-, de-; again”.

prefix

re-

morphemeback, backwards
morphemeun-, de-
re- + glūtinō (“glue”) → reglūtinō (“unglue, separate”)
re- + neō (“spin, weave, entwine”) → reneō (“unspin, unravel”)
morphemeagain; prefix added to various words to indicate an action being done again, or like the other usages indicated above under English.

Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.

re- or red-. An inseparable particle,

again, back, anew, against.

From Proto-Italic *wre- (“again”), of uncertain origin (OED); see the Proto-Italic entry for more.

Descendants