'pucker' likely originates from an earlier English or dialectal form such as Middle English 'pucken' or similar imitative/dialect verbs meaning 'to pluck or pinch'; the exact source is uncertain.

'pucker' appears in Early Modern English derived from Middle English/period dialect forms like 'pucken,' which described pinching or plucking actions, and evolved into the modern verb 'pucker' and its adjectival use 'puckered'.

Initially it referred to pinching or plucking actions (making something gather); over time it narrowed to the current sense of drawing material or skin together into small wrinkles or folds.