'axlike' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'æx' (also attested as 'ax' or 'axe'), where 'æx' meant 'axe', combined with the suffix '-like' meaning 'similar to' or 'having the form of'.

'axlike' developed by combining Old English 'æx' with the Middle English/Old English-derived suffix '-like' (from Old Norse 'líkʀ' / Old English 'līc' meaning 'like' or 'body'), and eventually appeared in modern English as 'axlike' (also written 'axe-like' or 'axe like').

Initially it meant 'having the form or qualities of an axe', and over time this core meaning has remained largely the same, used to describe shape, function, or a cutting quality.