'silverlike' is a compound formed from the English noun 'silver' and the adjectival suffix '-like' (from Old English '-lic'), where 'silver' referred to the metal and its color and '-like' meant 'having the form or nature of'.

'silver' originates from Old English 'seolfor' (also spelled 'seilver' in some Middle English texts) and developed into modern English 'silver'; the suffix '-like' derives from Old English '-lic', which became Middle English '-like' and then modern English '-like', producing compounds such as 'silverlike'.

Initially, the components separately denoted the metal 'silver' and the form-meaning suffix; combined, they have consistently meant 'resembling silver' with little change in core sense.