'human-shaped' originates from Modern English by compounding 'human' and the participial/adjectival element '-shaped'. 'Human' ultimately comes from Latin 'humanus', where 'humanus' meant 'of man' or 'humane', and 'shape' comes from Old English 'sceap'/'sceapan' (via Middle English 'shape'), where the root meant 'form' or 'create'.

'human' entered Middle English (humayn/human) from Old French and ultimately from Latin 'humanus', while 'shape' comes from Old English 'sceap' (form) and became Middle English 'shape'. The productive pattern '-shaped' (as in 'pear-shaped') developed in Modern English to form adjectives by attaching to nouns; 'human-shaped' formed by this compounding process.

Initially the components meant 'of man' (human) and 'form' (shape). Over time they combined in Modern English to mean 'having the form of a human', a meaning that has remained stable and literal in usage.