'saddle-like' originates from Old English components: 'sadol' (the word for 'saddle') and the Old English suffix '-lic' (later '-like'), where 'sadol' meant 'seat' and '-lic' meant 'like' or 'having the nature of'.

'sadol' in Old English became Middle English 'sadle'/'sadel' and later modern English 'saddle'; the suffix '-lic' evolved into Middle English '-like', and the compound form 'saddle-like' developed to describe resemblance to a saddle.

Initially the roots referred to a physical 'seat' (sadol) and a quality suffix ('-lic' = 'like'); over time the compound came to be used specifically to describe shapes or positions that resemble a saddle (i.e., 'shaped like a saddle').