The word 'waiflike' is a relatively modern English formation, built upon the older noun 'waif'. 'Waif' itself entered English from the Anglo-Norman legal term for abandoned or unclaimed property, which likely traces back to a Scandinavian root related to moving or waving, conveying a sense of being adrift. The suffix '-like', of Germanic origin, is a highly productive element in English for forming adjectives that denote similarity. Therefore, 'waiflike' literally means "resembling a waif," evolving from a concrete legal concept of ownerless goods to describe a person's frail, undernourished, and seemingly abandoned physical appearance.

Structure: waif + like - waif: Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-Norman 'waif', meaning ownerless property or stray animal. Functional role: The core noun root, providing the central concept of being abandoned or lost. - like: Origin: Middle English, from Old English 'līc', meaning body or form; used as a suffix meaning "having the form or characteristics of". Functional role: An adjectival suffix, indicating resemblance.