The compound "wolf-like" is a transparent modern English formation following a classic Germanic pattern for creating descriptive adjectives. The first element, "wolf," descends from the Proto-Germanic wulfaz, itself from the Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos, a term for the predatory canine. The second element, "-like," originates from the Old English adjective gelīc ("having the same form or appearance"), derived from the Germanic galīkaz ("body, form"). When combined, the literal construction "having the form or characteristics of a wolf" directly yields the modern figurative sense, used to describe anything—from physical features to predatory instincts—that evokes the archetypal qualities of the wolf.

Structure: wolf (animal) + like (resembling) wolf: From Old English wulf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolf and German Wolf, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lupus and Greek lykos. Functions as the noun root specifying the entity of resemblance. like: From Old English gelīc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gelijk and German gleich, from a base meaning 'body, form'. Functions as an adjective-forming suffix meaning 'having the characteristics of; similar to'.