The Spanish verb 'asemejar' (meaning 'to make similar') comes from the Latin word 'similis' meaning 'similar'. The Latin word first evolved into the Spanish noun 'semeja' (meaning 'similarity'), which then gave rise to the verb 'semejar' (meaning 'to be similar'). Finally, the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'towards') was added to 'semejar' to form 'asemejar', creating a causative verb meaning 'to make similar' or 'to cause to resemble'.

This transformation from 'semejar' to 'asemejar' through the addition of 'a-' follows a common pattern in Spanish where adding 'a-' to a verb often creates a new verb with a more active or causative meaning.

Several common Spanish words are related to 'asemejar' through their shared Latin root 'similis'. The simpler and more frequently used words include 'semejante' (similar), 'semejanza' (similarity), and 'semejar' (to be similar). All these words maintain the core meaning of similarity or resemblance from their Latin ancestor.

English speakers might recognize the connection to words like 'similar', 'simulate', and 'semblance', which all come from the same Latin root 'similis'. The English word 'similar' is particularly close in both meaning and form to the original Latin. 'Simulate' developed to mean 'to imitate or make something similar to something else', while 'semblance' refers to the outward appearance or similarity to something.