What this suffix does
-legged forms compound adjectives that describe the number, length, shape, or character of legs — or leg-like appendages. Long-legged, four-legged, bandy-legged, spindle-legged, three-legged — each compound creates a precise visual image of physical structure. In literary writing -legged compounds are among the most economical tools for establishing a character's or creature's physical presence. A single -legged compound can do more to establish a physical impression than a long descriptive sentence. They belong to the tradition of physical characterisation that runs from epic poetry through Victorian fiction to contemporary literary prose.