This really depends on where you first encountered the term. Anne Gentle wrote Docs Like Code, the first book I read on this topic 8 years ago. I always consider the terms "docs as code" and "docs like code" to be interchangeable, and usually use both when discussing the topic with an audience that includes a wide variety of different individuals. I think "docs as code" is probably used more in purely dev circles due to the proliferation of the "everything-as-code" construction seen in other dev-adjacent disciplines (infra-as-code, config-as-code, etc.)
FWIW, I was first taught this approach at Red Hat in 2014. I think DaC has precedence and I've never, ever encountered DlC in my work in half a dozen companies in 4 or 5 countries.
I am not saying you're wrong. I'm merely reporting my own experience.
