short-haired
UK[ˌʃɔːtˈheəd]US[ˌʃɔːrtˈherd]
adj
Having short hair, especially describing an animal or person.
Morpheme Breakdown
short
hair
ed
short
brief in length
hair
filament growing from skin
ed
having the quality of
Etymology
The compound adjective 'short-haired' is a transparent construction from native English elements. The first element, 'short', descends from the Proto-Germanic skurtaz, conveying the concept of a deficient length. The second element, 'hair', traces back to Proto-Germanic hērą, referring to body hair. The suffix '-ed', used to form participial adjectives, originates from the Old English past participle ending '-ed'. The logic of the word is perfectly literal, combining these elements to denote the possession of hair that is not long, a descriptive term most commonly applied to breeds of domestic animals and occasionally to people.
Analysis
Structure: short (brief in length) + hair (filament growing from skin) + ed (having the quality of)
- short: From Old English sceort, of Germanic origin; meaning brief in length or duration.
- hair: From Old English hǣr, of Germanic origin; meaning a filament growing from the skin.
- ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns, from Old English -ede, meaning 'having' or 'characterized by'.
Examples
She adopted a playful short-haired terrier from the shelter.
The guide dog was a sleek, short-haired Labrador.
He prefers a short-haired style because it's easier to manage.