red-tailed
UK[ˌred ˈteɪld]US[ˌred ˈteɪld]
adj
Having a tail that is red in color.
Morpheme Breakdown
red
tail
ed
red
color
tail
body part
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The compound adjective 'red-tailed' is a transparent English formation following a common Germanic pattern. The first element, 'red', descends from the Proto-Germanic raudaz, which itself derives from the Proto-Indo-European root h₁rewdʰ-, meaning 'red' or 'ruddy'. The second element, 'tail', originates from Proto-Germanic taglaz, related to the PIE dok-, likely meaning 'hair' or 'something long and thin'. The suffix '-ed' is a native English adjectival marker. The word's logic is entirely literal, directly describing an animal, most famously the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), by the distinctive color of its tail feathers.
Analysis
Structure: red (color) + tail (body part) + ed (adjective suffix)
- red: From Old English rēad, of Germanic origin. Denotes the color.
- tail: From Old English tægl, tagl, of Germanic origin. Denotes the posterior appendage of an animal.
- ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, indicating possession of a quality (e.g., 'having a...').
Examples
The red-tailed hawk is one of the most common birds of prey in North America.
We spotted a magnificent red-tailed hawk circling high above the field.
The squirrel was chased by a red-tailed predator but managed to escape into a burrow.