'civetlike' originates from Modern English, formed by adding the suffix '-like' to the noun 'civet' (with '-like' from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body' or 'like').

'civet' passed into English from Old French 'civette' (12th–13th century), which ultimately derives from Arabic 'zubād' or 'zabād' meaning 'a perfume' (the word referred both to the animal and the aromatic substance); the Modern English compound 'civetlike' developed by adding the productive suffix '-like'.

Initially, 'civet' referred to the animal and the aromatic substance (a perfume or musk); over time the compound 'civetlike' came to mean 'resembling a civet' or 'having a civet-like scent' in modern usage.