Tow
Old English togian ‘draw, drag’, of Germanic origin; related to tug. The noun dates from the early 17th century.
wiktionary
From Middle English towen, from Old English togian, from Proto-Germanic *tugōną (Middle High German zogen, German ziehen, Dutch tijgen, Old Norse toga), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-.
From Middle English touw, from Old Englishtow-(“spinning”) (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhūs, towlic), from Proto-Germanic *tawwą; compare Old Norse tó(“uncleansed wool”), Dutch touw(“rope”). Perhaps cognate with Old English tawian(“prepare for use”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽( taujan, “do, make”). [1]
etymonline
tow (v.)
"pull with a rope," Old English togian "to drag, pull," from Proto-Germanic *tugojanan (source also of Old English teon "to draw," Old Frisian togia "to pull about," Old Norse toga, Old High German zogon, German ziehen "to draw, pull, drag"), from PIE root *deuk- "to lead" (source also of Latin ducere "to lead"). Related: Towed; towing.
tow (n.1)
"the coarse, broken fibers of flax, hemp, etc., separated from the finer parts," late 14c., probably from Old English tow- "spinning" (in towlic "fit for spinning," tow-hus "spinning-room"), perhaps cognate with Gothic taujan "to do, make," Middle Dutch touwen "to knit, weave," from Proto-Germanic *taw- "to manufacture" (see taw (v.)).
tow (n.2)
c. 1600, "rope used in towing," from tow (v.). Meaning "act or fact of being towed" is from 1620s.
