careworn

The adjective 'careworn' is a transparent compound formed from two native English elements. The first element, 'care', carries its ancient Germanic sense of mental burden or anxiety. The second, 'worn', utilizes the figurative sense of being eroded or diminished through use, as an object is worn by friction. Combined, they create a vivid metaphor: a person's appearance is depicted as being visibly eroded or diminished by the persistent friction of worry, much like a path is worn by constant tread. This logical compounding, where an abstract internal state ('care') produces a physical, visible effect ('worn'), elegantly bridges the literal and figurative to describe a weary, anxious countenance.

Structure: care + worn - care (Old English): From Old English 'caru', 'cearu', meaning "sorrow, anxiety, grief." In this compound, it functions as a noun denoting the source of the state. - worn (Old English): Past participle of the verb 'wear', from Old English 'werian', meaning "to wear out, impair, use up." In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning "showing the effects of wear or use."