Tackle
/ˈtæk.əl/noun
To seize, grapple with, or attempt to deal with a problem or task.
Did you know?The word’s earliest English sense was about equipment and rigging, and its later “to grapple” meaning shows how physical combat language often becomes mental and emotional language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*taklō
“equipment, gear, tackle”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
takel
“gear, rigging, apparatus”
Middle Low German
Gmc
takel
“equipment, rigging”
Late Middle English
English
takel
“gear, rigging, harness”
16th Century
English
tackle
“to furnish with gear; to engage or grapple with”
Modern English
English
tackle
“to confront or handle; also equipment for sport or fishing”