'domain-like' is a compound formed from the noun 'domain' and the adjectival suffix '-like'. 'Domain' ultimately originates from Latin 'dominium' (via Old French), where the root 'dominus' meant 'lord'; the suffix '-like' comes from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body' or 'form'.

'domain' developed from Latin 'dominium' into Old French (e.g. 'demaine'/'demeine') and Middle English 'domaine'/'domain', and the modern English formation added the productive suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc'), producing compounds such as 'domain-like' in modern usage.

Initially, 'domain' referred to 'ownership' or 'the property of a lord'; over time it broadened to mean 'area', 'territory', or a field of activity, and 'domain-like' now denotes something resembling such an area or having characteristics of a domain.