grey-haired

The compound 'grey-haired' is a transparent descriptive formation from native English elements. The first element, 'grey', descends from the Proto-Germanic grēwaz, referring to a color between black and white. The second element, 'hair', originates from Proto-Germanic hērą, denoting the strands growing from the skin. The adjectival suffix '-ed', indicating possession of a quality, is also of ancient Germanic lineage. The term's logic is entirely literal, directly combining these elements to describe the physical characteristic of having hair that is the color grey, a common marker of advancing age.

Structure: grey (color) + hair (filament) + ed (adjective suffix) - grey: From Old English grǣg, of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as a color descriptor. - hair: From Old English hǣr, of Germanic origin. In this compound, it denotes the filamentous biomaterial. - ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, from Old English -ede, meaning 'having, provided with'.