The compound adjective 'tear-filled' is a transparent modern English formation. Its first element, 'tear', descends from the Old English tēar, a word of ancient Germanic lineage tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root dakru-, which also gave rise to the Latin lacrima and Greek dákry. The second element, 'filled', originates from the Old English verb fyllan, meaning "to make full", from the Proto-Germanic fullijaną, itself derived from the PIE root pelh₁- ("to fill"). The compound logically combines these elements to create a descriptive term meaning "made full with tears", directly linking the physical substance ('tear') with the state of containment ('filled') to vividly depict an emotional condition.

Structure: tear (a drop of liquid from the eye) + filled (made full) - tear: From Old English tēar, tæhher, of Germanic origin; related to German Zähre. The functional role is that of a noun used attributively to specify the content. - filled: From Old English fyllan, of Germanic origin. The functional role is that of a past participle adjective meaning "made full of".