'mirror-like' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the noun 'mirror' + the adjective-forming suffix '-like', where '-like' meant 'similar to' or 'having the form of'.

'mirror' comes from Middle English 'mirour' (also 'mirror'), from Old French 'mirour' (modern French 'miroir'), ultimately from Latin 'mirari' meaning 'to wonder' or 'to look at'; the compound 'mirror-like' developed in Modern English by adding '-like' to 'mirror'.

Initially, related words for 'mirror' were connected to 'looking' or 'wondering' (Latin 'mirari'); over time the word came to denote the reflective object itself and the combined form 'mirror-like' came to mean 'resembling a mirror' or 'having mirror-like qualities'.