'bargelike' originates from English, formed by compounding the noun 'bar' and the suffix '-like', where 'bar' referred to a rod or barrier and '-like' meant 'having the form or nature of'.

'bar' comes from Old English 'barr' and Middle English 'barre', meaning a barrier or rod; the suffix '-like' descends from Old English '-lic' meaning 'having the body or form of'. Together in modern English they form the compound 'bargelike'.

Initially elements meant 'rod/bar' and 'having the form of'; combined as a compound the meaning has remained literal — 'resembling a bar' — and also gained an extended sense relating to a drinking establishment.