'maleish' originates from English, specifically from the adjective 'male' plus the suffix '-ish', where 'male' meant 'male/masculine' and '-ish' meant 'having the quality of' or 'somewhat'.

'male' comes from Old French 'masle' (from Latin 'masculus' meaning 'male, masculine'), while the suffix '-ish' derives from Old English '-isc' (a productive adjectival suffix). In Modern English the base 'male' combined with the suffix '-ish' to form the informal adjective 'maleish'.

Initially 'male' meant 'male/masculine' and '-ish' indicated 'having the quality of' or 'somewhat'; combined they formed the colloquial sense 'somewhat male or masculine', a nuance developed by productive suffixation rather than a long separate lexical history.