'shrimplike' originates from English, specifically a combination of the noun 'shrimp' and the suffix '-like', where 'shrimp' referred to the small crustacean and '-like' meant 'similar to' or 'having the form of'.

'shrimp' is attested in Middle English as 'shrimp(e)' (from earlier forms such as 'scrimpa' in Old English dialects), while the suffix '-like' derives from Old English '-lic' meaning 'having the form of'. The compound 'shrimp-like' developed in English and later appeared in closed form as 'shrimplike'.

Initially it meant 'similar to the animal shrimp' (literal resemblance); over time it also acquired a figurative sense of 'small, puny, or insignificant'.