'yellowish' originates from English, specifically from the adjective 'yellow' plus the suffix '-ish', where 'yellow' came from Old English 'geolu' meaning 'yellow' and the suffix '-ish' meant 'having the quality of or relating to'.

'yellow' changed from Old English 'geolu' (and related forms like Middle English 'yelowe' or 'yallow') and eventually became the modern English word 'yellow'; adding the productive suffix '-ish' created 'yellowish' to mean 'somewhat yellow.'

Initially 'yellow' referred directly to the color yellow; over time the suffix '-ish' was attached to form 'yellowish', which evolved to mean 'slightly or somewhat yellow' rather than a pure yellow.