'puzzle-solver' originates from Modern English, specifically the words 'puzzle' and 'solver' (from 'solve'), where 'puzzle' originally meant 'to perplex or bewilder' and 'solve' (Latin 'solvere') meant 'to loosen, release, or solve'.

'puzzle' appeared in late 16th-century English (original sense related to perplexing or bewildering). 'Solve' comes from Latin 'solvere', passed into Old French as 'solver' and into Middle English as 'solven/solve', with the agentive form 'solver' producing the Modern English noun 'solver'; the compound 'puzzle-solver' was formed in Modern English by combining these elements.

Initially, 'puzzle' often carried the sense 'to perplex'; over time recreational meanings (games, riddles) became dominant. 'Puzzle-solver' originally meant 'one who relieves or resolves a perplexity' and evolved into the more specific modern sense 'someone who solves recreational puzzles'.