'showpiece-like' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound 'showpiece' combined with the suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc'), where 'showpiece' meant 'an object exhibited for display' and '-like' meant 'having the form or character of.'

'showpiece' developed in English from the noun 'show' (Middle English show(e), from Old English scēawian/related forms meaning 'to look/display') combined with 'piece' (Old French/Norman 'piece' from Late Latin 'pettia' meaning 'a part or fragment'). The adjectival suffix '-like' comes from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body/form' and was added to nouns to form adjectives meaning 'resembling X'. Together these elements produced compounds such as 'showpiece-like' in recent English usage.

Initially, 'showpiece' referred specifically to an outstanding object put on display; over time the compound 'showpiece-like' came to mean 'having the appearance or qualities of such a displayed object,' emphasizing display/appearance rather than function.