big-eyed
Meaning
Having large or prominent eyes.
(Figuratively) Appearing amazed, surprised, or naive.
Structure
Usage
The big-eyed lemur is a nocturnal primate native to Madagascar.
The children listened to the story with big-eyed wonder.
She played the role of a big-eyed innocent newcomer in the city.
Etymology
The compound adjective 'big-eyed' is a transparent and relatively modern English formation. It follows the productive pattern of combining a descriptive adjective with the past participial form '-eyed', a structure inherited from Old English. The first element, 'big', carries its core meaning of large size, directly modifying the second element. The second element, 'eyed', originates from the Old English noun 'ēage' (eye), which can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic 'augōn', and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root 'okʷ-' meaning 'to see'. The literal meaning, 'having large eyes', easily gave rise to the figurative sense describing a look of wonder, astonishment, or innocence, as large eyes are often associated with these expressions in humans and animals.
Analysis
- big: From Middle English 'bigge', of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scandinavian source (e.g., Norwegian dialect 'bugge' meaning 'important man'). In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning 'large in size'. - eyed: From Middle English 'eyed', from Old English 'ēaged', derived from 'ēage' (eye) + the adjectival suffix '-ed' (having, provided with). It functions as a combining form meaning 'having eyes of a specified kind'.