The compound adjective "ten-foot-high" is a modern English construction following a traditional pattern for specifying dimensions. It combines the cardinal number "ten," derived from the ancient Indo-European root for the number, with "foot," a unit of measure tracing back to the word for the body part, and "high," an adjective describing vertical extent. This formulaic structure, where the unit of measure is placed between the numeral and the dimension adjective, creates a clear and concise descriptor. The logic is purely compositional, directly combining the literal meanings of its three elements to denote a specific measurable height.

Structure: ten (number) + foot (unit) + high (measurement) - ten: From Old English 'tīen', from Proto-Germanic 'tehun', from Proto-Indo-European 'déḱm̥'. Functions as a cardinal number. - foot: From Old English 'fōt', from Proto-Germanic 'fōts', from Proto-Indo-European 'pṓds'. Functions as a noun denoting a unit of linear measure. - high: From Old English 'hēah', from Proto-Germanic 'hauhaz', from Proto-Indo-European 'kewk-'. Functions as an adjective describing a vertical extent.