'urn-like' is formed from the noun 'urn' and the suffix '-like'. 'Urn' originates from Latin 'urna', meaning 'a vessel or water jar', and the suffix '-like' comes from Old English '-lic', meaning 'having the nature of' or 'like'.

The noun 'urn' entered English via Middle English from Latin 'urna' (often through Old French 'urne'), while the suffix '-lic' in Old English evolved into the Modern English suffix '-like' during Middle English; combining them produced the compound adjective meaning 'like an urn'.

Originally, 'urna' referred broadly to a vessel or jar (often for water); over time 'urn' in English became especially associated with funerary vessels (funeral urns). The compounded form 'urn-like' has kept the straightforward meaning 'resembling an urn'.