darker-skinned

The term "darker-skinned" is a modern English compound adjective built from native Germanic elements. Its core, "dark," originates from the Proto-Germanic derkaz, carrying a sense of obscurity or absence of light, which evolved to describe deep, non-light colors. The comparative suffix "-er" is a standard Germanic grammatical feature for indicating a greater degree. The final element, "skinned," derives from the Old Norse word for animal hide, which in English came to denote human skin. The compound's literal logic is transparent: "having skin that is more dark," directly comparing pigmentation. Its formation follows the productive English pattern of creating descriptive adjectives by attaching a comparative adjective to a noun-participle, as seen in similar terms like "fairer-skinned" or "thicker-skinned."

Structure: dark (color) + er (comparative suffix) + skinned (having skin) - dark: From Old English deorc, meaning "without light, hidden, obscure." In this compound, it refers to the color or tone of skin. - er: A comparative suffix from Old English -ra, used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs. - skinned: Derived from Old Norse skinn (skin, hide) with the past participial suffix -ed, forming an adjective meaning "having (a specified kind of) skin."