highlighted
UK[ˈhaɪlaɪtɪd]US[ˈhaɪlaɪtɪd]
adj
made visually prominent or emphasized, especially with a bright color or strong light.
verb (past tense and past participle)
drew special attention to; emphasized as the most important or interesting part.
Morpheme Breakdown
high
light
ed
high
light
ed
Etymology
the word 'highlighted' is a modern english formation derived from the compound verb 'highlight'. the verb 'highlight' itself emerged in the 19th century from the artistic technique of applying a spot of bright 'light' to a painted or drawn object to suggest intense illumination, thus making that area appear 'high' or prominent. the '-ed' suffix is the standard english inflection for creating the past tense and participial adjective form. therefore, the literal progression from 'strongly illuminated' to the modern sense of 'emphasized' or 'made visually distinct' is clear and logical.
Analysis
Structure: high + light + ed
high (old english) - functional role: an intensifying element meaning 'strongly' or 'to a great degree'.
light (old english) - functional role: the core element referring to illumination or brightness.
ed (old english) - functional role: suffix forming the past tense and past participle of verbs, or adjectives from verbs.
Examples
the most relevant data points are highlighted in yellow on the chart.
the speaker highlighted the key challenges facing the industry.
her achievements were highlighted in the company's annual report.