'treelike' originates from English, composed of the word 'tree' and the suffix '-like'. 'tree' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'trēow', where 'trēow' meant 'tree'. The suffix '-like' originates from Old English '-līc', meaning 'having the form of'.

'treelike' formed from Old English elements 'trēow' + '-līc'; 'trēow' developed into Middle English 'tree' and then modern English 'tree', while '-līc' became Middle English '-liche' and later the modern suffix '-like', combining to form 'treelike'.

Initially it meant 'having the form of a tree'; over time the meaning has largely remained but has also been applied to branching or tree-shaped structures in scientific and descriptive contexts.