'headlike' originates from Modern English, formed as a compound of 'head' and the adjectival suffix '-like'. 'head' derives from Old English 'heafod' meaning 'head', and '-like' derives from Old English 'līc' (and related Old Norse 'líkr') meaning 'similar' or 'form'.

'head' developed from Old English 'heafod', and the suffix '-like' comes from Old English 'līc' / Old Norse 'líkr'; the hyphenated compound 'head-like' appears in Middle English and eventually the form 'headlike' became established in modern English.

Initially it meant 'having the form or appearance of a head', and over time this basic sense has been retained as 'resembling a head' in contemporary usage.