'highlander' originates from English, specifically from the combination of 'highland' and the suffix '-er,' where 'highland' meant 'an area of high or mountainous land' and '-er' meant 'a person from a place.'

'highlander' was formed in English by adding the agent suffix '-er' to 'highland,' and eventually became the modern English word 'highlander.'

Initially, it meant 'a person from the highlands,' and this meaning has remained the same in modern usage.