'riddle-maker' is a compound of the noun 'riddle' and 'maker'. 'riddle' in the sense of a puzzling question originates from Old English 'rædels' (or 'rǣdels'), and 'maker' comes from Old English 'macere' (from the verb 'macian') meaning 'one who makes'.

The element 'riddle' developed in Old English from 'rædels' (sense: opinion, conjecture) to mean a puzzling question in Middle English; 'maker' evolved from Old English 'macere' and joined with nouns to form agent compounds, eventually producing modern compounds like 'riddle-maker'.

Initially, 'riddle' could mean 'opinion' or 'conjecture', but over time it specialized to mean a puzzling question or enigma; combined with 'maker' it came to denote a person who composes such puzzles.