the compound adjective 'starry-eyed' is a modern english formation, originating in the early 20th century. it creatively combines two familiar anglo-saxon elements: 'starry', evoking the bright, distant, and often idealized beauty of stars, and 'eyed', denoting possession or quality of vision. the metaphor hinges on the image of eyes shining with the reflected light of stars, symbolizing wonder and dreamy idealism. this literal visual concept evolved into its current abstract meaning, describing a person who is naively optimistic or filled with unrealistic hopes, much like one gazing enchanted at the night sky.

Structure: starry (resembling stars) + eyed (having eyes) - starry: from english 'star' (old english 'steorra', of germanic origin; related to dutch 'ster', german 'stern') + suffix '-y' (old english '-ig', meaning "characterized by; full of"). functions as an adjective-forming element meaning "resembling or full of stars." - eyed: from english 'eye' (old english 'ēage', of germanic origin; related to dutch 'oog', german 'auge') + suffix '-ed' (old english '-ed', used to form adjectives from nouns). functions as an adjective-forming element meaning "having (a specified kind of) eyes."