'womanlike' originates from Old English elements: 'wīfmann' (the precursor to 'woman') and 'līc' (the ancestor of suffix '-like'), where 'wīfmann' meant 'woman' and 'līc' meant 'having the form of, like'.

'womanlike' changed from Middle English forms such as 'wommanlike' (built from Middle English 'womman' + 'like') and eventually became the modern English word 'womanlike'.

Initially it meant 'having the form or qualities of a woman' and over time it has retained that core sense, now usually 'resembling or characteristic of a woman; womanly', sometimes with archaic or stylistic flavor.