'animal-like' is formed in English by combining 'animal' and the suffix '-like', where 'animal' comes from Latin 'animalis' meaning 'living being', and '-like' is an Old English suffix meaning 'similar to' or 'characteristic of'.

'animal-like' was created in modern English by combining the noun 'animal' and the suffix '-like', a common way to form adjectives indicating similarity.

Initially, it simply meant 'similar to an animal', and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.