'perch-like' originates from English, formed by the noun 'perch' + the suffix '-like', where 'perch' itself has two historical senses: the fish sense from Old French 'perche' (from Late Latin 'perca') and the pole/roost sense from Old French/Medieval Latin 'perche'/'pertica' meaning 'rod' or 'pole'.

'perch' changed from Latin/Medieval Latin words ('perca' for the fish sense and 'pertica' for the pole sense) into Old French 'perche' and Middle English 'perche', and eventually into modern English 'perch'; the adjectival compound formed by adding the productive Old English/English suffix '-like' produced 'perch-like'.

Initially, 'perch' referred specifically either to the fish or to a pole/rod used as a roost; over time the compound 'perch-like' came to mean more generally 'resembling a perch' in either the fish sense or the roost/pole sense.