'cow-like' originates from the English word 'cow' combined with the suffix '-like', where 'cow' refers to the domesticated bovine animal and '-like' means 'resembling or similar to'.

'Cow' comes from the Old English word 'cū', which is related to the Proto-Germanic '*kūz', and '-like' is derived from the Old English 'līc', meaning 'body' or 'form'.

Initially, 'cow-like' meant 'having the form or appearance of a cow', and this meaning has remained consistent over time.