'lawbreaker' originates from the combination of 'law' and 'breaker', where 'law' refers to the system of rules and 'breaker' refers to someone who violates or disobeys.

'lawbreaker' evolved from the Old English word 'lagabryce', which meant 'law breaking'.

Initially, it meant 'someone who breaks the law', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.