'baler' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'bale' plus the agentive suffix '-er' (meaning 'one who does' or 'thing that does').

'bale' in English came from Middle English 'bale', which in turn is related to Old Norse 'bali' meaning 'bundle'; the agentive formation produced 'baler' to denote an agent (originally a person or tool) that makes bales.

Initially it meant 'one (person or tool) that makes bundles (bales)'; over time the term has come to refer commonly to a machine that forms and binds bales.