'Bacchus' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'Bacchus', ultimately from Greek 'Bakchos' (Βάκχος), the name of the god of wine; the suffix '-like' originates from Old English 'līc', where 'līc' meant 'body, form' and later 'similar'.

'bacchuslike' formed in Modern English by combining the proper name 'Bacchus' with the adjectival suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc'), producing an adjective meaning 'resembling Bacchus'; the name 'Bacchus' itself passed into English via Latin from Greek 'Bakchos'.

Initially the elements referred specifically to the god's name and a general suffix meaning 'similar'; over time the compound took on the figurative meaning 'resembling Bacchus' and, by extension, 'characterized by drunken revelry' in modern usage.