'awnlike' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'awn' and the suffix '-like', where 'awn' meant 'a bristle or long hair on the seed or spikelet of grasses' and '-like' meant 'having the form or likeness of'.

'-like' derives from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body or form', became Middle English '-like' and is used to form adjectives; 'awn' existed in Middle English (e.g. 'aune') and continued into modern English as 'awn', and together they formed the modern adjective 'awnlike'.

Initially, it meant 'having or resembling an awn', and over time it has retained this meaning in botanical and descriptive usage.