the compound adjective 'tired-looking' is a relatively modern formation, following a productive english pattern where a descriptive state is combined with '-looking' to denote appearance. the first element, 'tired', carries the core semantic weight of exhaustion or weariness, a concept with deep germanic roots. the second element, 'looking', derives from the old english verb for seeing but has grammaticalized into an adjectival suffix that passively denotes semblance. thus, the word's literal logic is "having the appearance of one who is weary," a transparent and efficient means of describing visual cues of fatigue.

Structure: tired (weary) + looking (appearing) tired: from middle english 'tired', past participle of 'tiren' (to weary), of uncertain origin, possibly old english 'teorian' (to fail, cease, become weary). functions as the descriptive base. looking: from old english 'lōcian' (to see, gaze, appear). the present participle suffix '-ing' forms an adjective meaning "having the appearance of".