Tugboat
/ˈtʌɡ.boʊt/noun
A powerful boat used to tow or push larger vessels.
Did you know?Tugboat is a straightforward modern compound, but its first element, tug, is part of an old Germanic word-family tied to pulling and hauling, the same deep root behind words like tow and tether.
Etymological Timeline
Old English / Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*teuhaną / *tugō
“to pull, draw, or drag”
Middle English
English
tuggen
“to pull hard or jerk”
16th Century
English
tug
“a strong pull or haul”
19th Century
English
tugboat
“a boat designed to tow or push other vessels”