'civet-like' originates from modern English as a compound of the noun 'civet' and the adjectival suffix '-like'.

'civet' itself comes into English via Middle French 'civette' from Medieval Latin 'civetta'; the suffix '-like' is from Old English '-līc' (from Proto-Germanic), meaning 'similar to', and was productive in forming adjectives in modern English, producing compounds such as 'civet-like'.

Initially, 'civet' referred specifically to the animal or its musk; over time the compound 'civet-like' came to mean 'resembling the civet' in appearance, behavior, or scent rather than referring only to the animal or its musk.