'artlike' originates from modern English, specifically the compound of 'art' and the suffix '-like', where 'art' came from Latin 'ars, artis' meaning 'skill' or 'craft', and '-like' is from Old English '-lic' meaning 'having the form of' or 'similar to'.

'artlike' is a productive modern English formation combining 'art' (from Middle English 'art', borrowed from Old French 'art' and ultimately Latin 'ars') with the Old English-derived suffix '-like' (from Old English 'lic'). The compound formation follows a long history of English using '-like' to form adjectives meaning 'similar to'.

Initially the components meant 'skill/craft' ('art') and 'similar to' ('-like'); over time the compound came to be used to describe things resembling art or possessing artistic qualities, with occasional use to indicate artifice or contrivance.