the compound adjective "tough-looking" is a modern english formation that follows a transparent and productive pattern. the first element, "tough," descends from the old english 'tōh,' which originally meant strong, firm, or tenacious, a sense it has retained. the second element, "looking," derives from the old english verb 'lōcian' (to see) and, through the gerundial '-ing' suffix, functions to denote visual appearance or aspect. this construction, where an adjective is combined with "-looking," directly and logically describes the impression given by someone's or something's exterior, effectively meaning "having the appearance of being tough." it exemplifies how english readily creates descriptive terms by combining native germanic roots to meet evolving expressive needs.

Structure: tough (strong, resilient) + look (appearance) + ing (adjective-forming suffix) - tough: from old english 'tōh' (strong, firm, tenacious). functional role: adjective root conveying the core quality. - look: from old english 'lōcian' (to see, gaze). functional role: noun root indicating appearance or visual aspect. - ing: from old english '-ende', '-ing', a suffix forming present participles and adjectives from verbs. functional role: adjective-forming suffix, turning the verb-noun compound into a descriptive adjective.