lidless
Meaning
having no lid or cover
(especially of eyes) wide open, as if staring
Structure
Usage
she stared at him with lidless intensity.
the ancient well was now a lidless pit, open to the sky.
in his nightmare, he was pursued by a creature with lidless, glowing eyes.
Etymology
the word 'lidless' is a transparent english compound formed from two native old english elements. the first element, 'lid', descends from proto-germanic hlid-, meaning a cover, and is cognate with words like dutch 'lid' and german 'deckel'. the suffix '-less' originates from the old english adjective 'lēas', meaning devoid of or free from, which itself stems from a proto-germanic root. the combination follows a straightforward english morphological pattern where '-less' is appended to a noun to create an adjective denoting the absence of that noun. its application to eyes, as in 'lidless eyes', is a figurative extension, evoking an image of an eye that cannot or does not close its lid, thus appearing perpetually open and watchful.
Analysis
lid (old english, noun, meaning a cover or top); less (old english, adjective-forming suffix, meaning without, lacking)