long-haired

The compound adjective 'long-haired' is a transparent formation from two native English roots. 'Long', with its Proto-Germanic origin langgaz, has consistently described linear extent. 'Hair', from Proto-Germanic khēran, names the characteristic mammalian feature. The suffix '-ed', used to form participial adjectives, was appended to the noun 'hair' to create the sense 'having hair', which was then modified by 'long'. The term's logic is entirely literal, directly describing the physical attribute of possessing hair of considerable length, and its usage is straightforward, often applied to people, animals, or stylistic descriptions.

Structure: long (length) + hair (filament) + ed (adjective suffix) - long: From Old English lang, long, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lang and German lang. Denotes great length or duration. - hair: From Old English hǣr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch haar and German Haar. Refers to the filaments growing from the skin. - ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, indicating 'having' or 'characterized by'. From Old English -ede.