red-checked

The compound adjective 'red-checked' is a transparent descriptive formation from core Germanic elements. The first element, 'red', descends from the Proto-Germanic raudaz, a primary color term with a stable meaning. The second element, 'check', is a variant spelling of 'cheek', referring to the side of the face, from Old English cēace. The suffix '-ed' is a productive adjectival suffix in English, used to mean 'possessing' or 'characterized by'. The word's logic is entirely literal and compositional, directly describing the physical appearance of having red-colored cheeks, often due to cold, exertion, shyness, or health.

Structure: red (color) + check (cheek) + ed (adjective suffix) - red: From Old English rēad, of Germanic origin, related to Dutch rood and German rot. Functions as an adjective describing color. - check: An alteration of cheek, from Old English cēce, cēace, of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as a noun. - ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, from Old English -ede, -od, -ad. It indicates 'having the quality of'.