" tow "

[Verb]  | "tow" | \ ˈtō \

1: to draw or pull along behind : haul

2: to move in tow

Origin: before 12th century ;

 Middle English towen "to pull, tug, haul," going back to Old English togian, going back to Germanic *togōjan- (whence also Old Frisian togia "to haul away," Old High German zogōn "to obtain," Old Icelandic toga "to draw, pull"), weak-verb derivative from zero-grade of *teuhan- "to draw, pull," a strong verb (whence Old English tēon, past tēah, tugon, past participle togen "to pull, draw, entice, bring up, educate," Old Frisian tiā "to draw, pull, educate," Old Saxon tiohan "to pull, haul, rear," Old High German ziohan "to pull, lead, rear, foster," Old Icelandic toginn "drawn [of a sword]," Gothic tiuhan "to lead, bring"), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *deu̯k-, whence also Welsh dygaf "(I) bring, lead" (verbal noun dwyn), Latin dūcō, dūcere "to lead, conduct, draw, pull (of draught animals)";

  * Note : The base *deu̯k- is best attested as a primary verb stem with the meanings "lead, bring" and "pull (a conveyance)" in the western Indo-European group Celtic, Germanic, and Italic. Other semantically and/or morphologically more distant connections (in Albanian, Greek, and Tocharian) are pointed out in H. Rix, et al., Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2. Auflage, Wiesbaden, 2001.;

[Noun]  | "tow" 

1: the act or an instance of towing

2: the fact or state of being towed

3: something towed (such as a boat or car)

Origin: 1600 ;

 Derivative of {see: |tow:1|tow:1};

[Noun]  | "tow" 

1: short or broken fiber (as of flax, hemp, or synthetic material) that is used especially for yarn, twine, or stuffing

2: yarn or cloth made of tow

3: a loose essentially untwisted strand of synthetic fibers

Origin: 14th century ;

 Middle English tow, towe "unworked flax, fiber of flax or another material prepared for spinning," of uncertain origin;

  * Note : The Middle English word has been associated with Old English tow-, which appears as the initial element of a series of compounds: towcræft "spinning," towhūs "building or room for spinning," towlic "used for spinning," towtōl "spinning implement." Whatever the likelihood of this element as its source, Middle English towe) is matched exactly in form by Middle Dutch touwe, tou "coarse flax, rope," and Middle Low German tow, towe "rope." While the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, is noncommital on its origin, the editors of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology state unreservedly that towe) is borrowed from Middle Low German touw [sic]. Cognate with the Middle Low German and Middle Dutch words are Old Frisian tauwe, towe "rope," Old Saxon tou "flax fiber," and Old Icelandic tó "tuft of wool." These appear to go back to Germanic tauwa-, which would yield unattested Old English *tēaw-, not tow-. G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) links the Germanic etymon with Indo-European *deh1- "tie, bind" (see: {diadem|diadem}), but this would appear unlikely if "flax fiber" was the original meaning and "rope" secondary. Older hypotheses connect it with Germanic *taujan- "to do, make" (see: {taw:1|taw:1}).;

[Noun]  | "tow" 

1: rope

Origin: 14th century ;

 Early Scots tow, towe, probably borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German tow, towe "rope" {mat|tow:3|};

[Noun]  | "tow sack" | \ ˈtō-ˈsak \

1: gunnysack

Origin: 1926 ;

 {see: |tow:3|tow:3};

[Noun]  | "tow truck" 

1: a truck with winches and hoist mechanisms for freeing stuck vehicles and towing wrecked or disabled vehicles

Origin: 1944 ;

[Noun]  | "tow-away zone" 

1: an area where parking is not allowed and where a parked car will be towed

[Noun]  | "tow bar" 

1: a metal bar on the back of a vehicle that is used for towing something (such as a vehicle or trailer)

[Noun]  | "rope tow" 

1: ski tow

Origin: 1936 ;

[Phrase]  | "in tow" 

1: accompanying or following usually as an attending or dependent party

2: under guidance or protection

[Verb]  | "tow" 

[Noun]  | "tow"