"Resistance" originates from the mid-14th century,  derived from Middle English resistence and Old French resistance (earlier resistence), and tracing back to the Latin  resistentia ("to stand together).  It combines re- (against) with sistere (to stand firm), a reduplicated form of the Proto-Indo-European root *sta- (to stand).  Originally referred to moral, political, or physical opposition. By the late 14th century, it was used to describe hindering a moving body.  The term was extended in 1939 to describe organized, covert resistance movements. 

Related words:  Resistant, resist, insist, persist, consist, status, and stay. 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the noun "resistance" was first used in English during the Middle English period (1150-1500), with the earliest evidence dating to before 1325 in the Statutes of the Realm. The term generally refers to the action of opposing something or a force that acts in opposition, but there are other meanings for the word. 
Political/Military Sense: The specific sense of "organized covert opposition to an occupying or ruling power" has earlier roots, but this usage became widespread around 1939, and particularly in the context of World War II (e.g., the French Resistance). 
Related Terms: The verb resist also dates to the Middle English period (around 1400), while resistant (adjective) appeared in the early 1500s. 
Compound Terms: Specific usages like "passive resistance" are recorded from the early 1700s (1715)