Etymology Map
Back to all words

Tackle

3 stages from Middle Dutch to English.

Today it means equipment for a task; to deal with a problem

Where does the word "tackle" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch takel, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
takel
Middle Dutch · medieval
"rigging"
a ship's rigging and hoisting gear
2
Stage 2 of 3
takel
Middle English · 1200s
"gear"
gear or equipment, especially a ship's
3
Stage 3 of 3
tackle
English · 1500s
"gear; to grapple"
the sporting sense, to seize an opponent, dates from the 1870s
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Tackle’s story begins in Middle Dutch: takel meant “rigging.” A ship's rigging and hoisting gear. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as takel. Gear or equipment, especially a ship's. It reached English by 1500s as tackle. The sporting sense, to seize an opponent, dates from the 1870s. Today, tackle means equipment for a task; to deal with a problem.