'law-maker' originates from the combination of 'law' and 'maker', where 'law' refers to a system of rules and 'maker' refers to someone who creates or enacts.

'law-maker' evolved from the Old English word 'lagamaker', which combined 'lagu' (law) and 'macere' (maker), eventually becoming the modern English word 'law-maker'.

Initially, it meant 'one who creates laws', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.