'cedarlike' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'cedar' plus the suffix '-like', where '-like' meant 'having the form or character of'.

'cedar' came into English via Old French 'cedre' from Latin 'cedrus', itself from Greek 'kedros'; the adjective-forming suffix '-like' comes from Old English '-līc' (modern '-like'), and the compound 'cedarlike' arose in Modern English by combining these elements.

Initially, the elements referred literally to the cedar tree and the quality 'like'; over time 'cedarlike' simply came to mean 'resembling cedar' in appearance or scent, a meaning that has remained stable.