craggy
UK[ˈkræɡ.i]US[ˈkræɡ.i]
adj
having many crags or rough, steep, rocky projections
adj
(of a man's face) having strong, rough, and attractive features
Morpheme Breakdown
crag
gy
crag
rock
gy
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'craggy' is built upon the noun 'crag', which entered english from the celtic languages, likely through old northern english. the core meaning of a steep, rugged rock has remained remarkably stable. the adjectival suffix '-y', of old english origin, is a highly productive element used to form adjectives meaning "abounding in" or "characterized by". thus, 'craggy' literally means "full of crags" or "characterized by crags". this literal sense evolved to describe not only rocky landscapes but also, metaphorically, human faces with strong, rugged, and uneven features reminiscent of a rocky cliff face.
Analysis
Structure: crag (rock) + gy (adjective suffix)
crag: origin: celtic (likely via old english carreg or middle english cragge), functional role: root, meaning "rock, rocky cliff".
gy: origin: old english, functional role: suffix forming adjectives, meaning "characterized by, full of".
Examples
the hikers carefully navigated the craggy coastline.
his craggy face was weathered from years spent at sea.
the castle was perched atop a craggy hill, difficult to approach.