'puckishness' originates from English, specifically the adjective 'puckish' + the suffix '-ness', where 'puck' (from Old English 'pūca') meant 'a goblin or mischievous spirit'.

'puckishness' developed from the adjective 'puckish', which came from Middle English 'puk'/'puck' (from Old English 'pūca'); the modern noun was formed by adding the suffix '-ness' to create an abstract quality.

Initially, the root 'pūca' referred to a demon or goblin; over time it shifted to a mischievous sprite or impish figure (as in Shakespeare's Puck), and eventually adjectives and nouns derived from it took on the lighter sense of playful or mischievous behavior, now expressed by 'puckishness'.