full-blooded

The term "full-blooded" is a compound adjective formed from native English elements. The core concept hinges on the ancient metaphorical use of "blood" to represent family, descent, and hereditary essence, a usage traceable to Proto-Germanic. The intensifier "full" was added to emphasize the notion of unmixed or pure lineage, originally used in the context of animal breeding. Over time, the logic of the metaphor expanded beyond literal ancestry. The vigor and vitality associated with a purebred animal were abstracted, allowing the word to describe any person or thing possessing robust, vigorous, and enthusiastic qualities, thus completing its journey from a literal descriptor of pedigree to a figurative one for intensity.

Structure: full (complete) + blood (lineage) + ed (adjective suffix) - full: From Old English full, meaning "complete, entire." It functions as an intensifier in this compound, denoting completeness or purity. - blood: From Old English blōd, meaning "blood, family, lineage." In this context, it refers to ancestry or genetic stock. - ed: A suffix from Old English -ede, used to form adjectives from nouns, meaning "having the qualities of" or "characterized by."