'parrot-like' originates from the noun 'parrot' (from Old French 'perroquet') combined with the English suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body, form, likeness').

'parrot' came into Middle English from Old French 'perroquet' (later 'parrot' in Middle English), while the suffix '-like' derives from Old English 'līc' which evolved into the Middle English suffix '-like' and the modern '-like'. Together they formed the compound adjective 'parrot-like'.

Initially the components referred straightforwardly to something 'like a parrot' (physical resemblance). Over time the compound also acquired a figurative sense of 'mechanically imitative or repeating without understanding.'