short-legged

The compound adjective "short-legged" is a transparent formation from native English elements. The first element, "short," descends from the Proto-Germanic skurtaz, conveying the concept of a deficient length. The second element, "leg," entered English from Old Norse, replacing the native Old English term sceanca. The suffix "-ed" is an ancient Germanic adjectival formative, used to create descriptive terms indicating possession of a specific feature. The word's logic is entirely literal, directly combining these elements to denote the physical characteristic of possessing legs that are not long, a straightforward descriptive construction common in English.

Structure: short (brief, not long) + leg (limb) + ed (having the quality of) - short: From Old English sceort, of Germanic origin, meaning "not long, brief." Functions as an adjective describing length. - leg: From Middle English legge, from Old Norse leggr, meaning "limb." Functions as a noun, the object being described. - ed: From Old English -ede, an adjectival suffix used to form adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, provided with."