'aroid-like' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'aroid' (from Modern Latin 'Araceae') and the suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc'), where 'Araceae' referred to the plant family associated with the genus 'Arum' and 'līc' meant 'body, form'.

'aroid' developed in botanical English in the 19th century from Modern Latin 'Araceae' (the family name derived from the genus 'Arum'), and the adjectival suffix '-like' comes via Middle English from Old English 'līc'; these combined in modern English to produce the descriptive form 'aroid-like'.

Initially, the root referred specifically to the taxonomic family (Araceae); over time, combining it with '-like' produced a general descriptive adjective meaning 'resembling members of that family' or 'having characteristics typical of aroids'.