'sieve-like' is formed in English by combining 'sieve' and the suffix '-like', where 'sieve' refers to a mesh strainer and '-like' means 'resembling'.

The word 'sieve-like' was created in modern English by compounding 'sieve' and '-like' to describe something that resembles a sieve.

Initially, it meant 'resembling a sieve', and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.