'archlike' originates from English, specifically by combining the noun 'arch' and the suffix 'like', where 'arch' ultimately comes from Latin 'arcus' meaning 'bow, arc' and 'like' comes from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body, form' or 'similar to'.

'arch' changed from Latin 'arcus' to Old French 'arc' and Middle English 'arche' or 'arch' and eventually became the modern English word 'arch'. 'like' developed from Old English 'līc' to Middle English 'lik' and then 'like'; the compound 'archlike' formed in modern English by combining these elements.

Initially related to a 'bow' or 'curved form' from Latin 'arcus'; over time the combined form 'archlike' came to mean specifically 'resembling an arch' in modern English.