'kernel-like' originates from Modern English, specifically formed by combining the noun 'kernel' with the adjectival suffix '-like', where '-like' meant 'resembling' or 'having the form of'.

'kernel' changed from Old English 'cyrnel' (a diminutive of 'corn' meaning 'grain' or 'seed') into Middle English 'kernel' and eventually the modern English 'kernel'; the compound form 'kernel-like' is a later English formation created by joining 'kernel' + '-like' to mean 'resembling a kernel'.

Initially, 'kernel' meant 'a small seed or grain'; over time it acquired the extended meaning of 'the central or most important part' and thus 'kernel-like' came to mean 'resembling the core or central element'.