'anthrax-like' is a modern compound formed from 'anthrax' (the disease name) + the adjectival suffix '-like' (meaning 'similar to').

'anthrax' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἄνθραξ' (anthrax), where it originally meant 'coal' (referring to the black skin lesions). The suffix '-like' comes from Old English 'lic' (later '-like') meaning 'body/form' which developed into an adjectival suffix meaning 'similar to'. The compound 'anthrax-like' is a modern English formation combining these elements.

Initially, 'anthrax' referred to 'coal' (Greek) and later to the disease because of the black lesions; over time the term has denoted the disease itself, and 'anthrax-like' has come to mean 'resembling or characteristic of that disease'.