'troublemaker' originates from the combination of 'trouble' and 'maker', where 'trouble' meant 'difficulty or problem' and 'maker' referred to 'one who creates or causes'.

'trouble' comes from the Old French word 'troubler', and 'maker' from the Old English 'macere'. Together, they formed the modern English word 'troublemaker'.

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