'crablike' originates from English, specifically the word 'crab' combined with the suffix '-like', where 'crab' referred to the crustacean and '-like' meant 'similar to'.

'crab' comes from Old English 'crabba', and the suffix '-like' derives from Old English '-lic' (later '-like'); these elements combined into the Modern English adjective 'crablike'.

Initially, it meant 'similar to a crab' in a literal sense, and it has retained that sense while also developing a figurative sense of 'peevish or sullen' over time.