'pitcherlike' originates from English, specifically the compound of the noun 'pitcher' and the suffix '-like', where '-like' meant 'similar to' (from Old English '-līc' meaning 'body, form').

'pitcher' comes into English via Middle English from earlier Germanic/Old French forms meaning a vessel for liquids; the adjectival suffix '-like' derives from Old English 'līc' and developed into the productive suffix '-like' in Modern English to form adjectives meaning 'similar to'. These elements combined in Modern English to form compounds such as 'pitcherlike'.

Initially, the components simply meant 'pitcher' and 'similar to'; together they have retained the transparent meaning 'similar to a pitcher' and have been used to describe shape or likeness, with occasional extended senses (e.g., resembling a pitcher in behavior).