The compound adjective 'tony-winning' is a modern formation specific to American theatre culture. Its first element derives from the Tony Awards, established in 1947 and named for Antoinette "Tony" Perry, a co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. The second element, 'winning', originates from the Old English verb winnan, meaning to fight, labor, or ultimately gain victory. The compound logically follows the common English pattern of 'award-winning', where the name of the award specifies the field of achievement. Thus, 'tony-winning' literally denotes 'having won a Tony', signifying recognized excellence in Broadway theatre.

Structure: tony (proper noun) + winning (adjective) - tony: Origin: Proper noun (Tony Award). Functional role: The specific, proper name of the award, acting as a modifier. - winning: Origin: Old English winnan (to labor, strive, win). Functional role: The present participle of the verb 'win', used here as an adjective meaning 'that wins' or 'having won'.