chubby-cheeked

the word is a modern english compound adjective, formed by combining two existing english words. the first element, 'chubby', derives from the noun 'chub', a freshwater fish noted for its thick, rounded body, which by the 16th century had evolved into an adjective describing a plump, rounded physique. the second element, 'cheek', is a very old germanic word for the side of the face, traceable to proto-germanic. the suffix '-ed' is attached to the noun 'cheek' to convert it into an adjectival form meaning 'possessing cheeks', a common pattern in english (e.g., 'blue-eyed'). the compound logically and vividly describes someone whose cheeks possess the characteristic plumpness implied by 'chubby'.

Structure: chubby (plump) + cheek (side of the face) + ed (having the quality of) chubby (origin: mid 16th century, from 'chub', a type of thick fish, implying plumpness + 'y' adjective suffix, of unknown ultimate origin). cheek (origin: old english 'cēace', 'cēce', of germanic origin). ed (origin: old english '-ed', '-ad', '-od', past participial suffix, used here to form adjectives meaning 'having').