Origins
The verb 'pull' is one of the most basic physical-action words in English, denoting the fundamental mechanical operation of exerting force to move something toward oneself. Its etymology, while less dramatic than some of its peers, tells an interesting story of semantic expansion: a word that began with the specific act of plucking grew to encompass one of the most universal physical concepts.
Old English 'pullian' meant 'to pluck, pull out, snatch,' with a particular association with plucking feathers or pulling hairs. The word is attested in late Old English texts, and its original semantic domain was notably narrow compared to its modern range. When an Anglo-Saxon speaker used 'pullian,' they typically meant extracting something small — a feather, a hair, a plant — from where it was attached. The general concept of pulling or drawing was expressed by other verbs: 'dragan' (to draw, drag), 'tēon' (to pull, draw), and 'lūcan' (to pull, pluck).
The ultimate origin of 'pullian' is uncertain. It appears to be a native West Germanic word, with probable cognates in Low German 'pulen' (to pull, strip, shell, remove husks) and Frisian 'pūlje' (to shell, husk). These cognates share the semantic core of stripping or removing an outer layer — husking grain, shelling peas, plucking feathers — all actions involving the extraction of something by pulling. Some etymologists have suggested a connection to Latin 'pilāre' (to depilate, remove hair), but this is generally considered uncertain. The word has no clear cognates in the North Germanic or East Germanic languages, suggesting it originated in or was limited to the West Germanic branch.
Old English Period
During the Middle English period (12th–15th centuries), 'pullen' underwent a dramatic semantic broadening. From the specific sense of plucking, it expanded to cover pulling in general — tugging, drawing, hauling. This expansion occurred as the older Old English verbs for pulling either narrowed in meaning ('dragan' becoming specialized as 'draw') or fell out of use ('tēon' dying out entirely as a word for pulling). By the fifteenth century, 'pull' had established itself as the default verb for tractive force in everyday English.
The modern semantic range of 'pull' is broad and productive. The physical core — exerting force to move something toward the agent — generates numerous metaphorical extensions. To 'pull strings' (exercise hidden influence) derives from puppetry, where the puppeteer controls the puppet by pulling strings from above. To 'pull someone's leg' (deceive playfully) may derive from the idea of tripping someone by pulling their leg. To 'pull a fast one' (deceive) and 'pull off' (achieve something difficult) extend the notion of extraction to achievement through effort or cunning.
In informal British English, 'pull' means to attract a romantic or sexual partner — a metaphorical extension of drawing someone toward oneself. This usage, attested from at least the mid-twentieth century, has become standard colloquial English in Britain and is spreading in other varieties.
Word Formation
The compound forms of 'pull' are numerous. A 'pullover' (a sweater pulled over the head) names the garment by its donning action. A 'pullback' is a withdrawal or retreat. A 'pull-up' names an exercise by the action performed. 'Pull' in computing (a 'pull request' in software development) means to draw code changes from one repository into another — a precise technical use that preserves the core meaning of drawing toward.
The opposition between 'pull' and 'push' is one of the fundamental binary pairs of English, representing the two basic directions of applied force: toward and away from the agent. This pair appears on every door in every public building (often as a source of comedic confusion), and the metaphorical extensions of both words are structured by this spatial opposition. You 'push' an agenda (force it forward, away from yourself toward others) but 'pull' strings (draw influence toward your purposes). You 'push' someone away but 'pull' them close.
The word 'pulley,' despite its obvious resemblance, has a separate etymology. 'Pulley' comes from Old French 'poulie,' from medieval Latin 'polea,' ultimately from Greek 'polos' (axis, pivot). However, the resemblance between 'pull' and 'pulley' — a device that works by pulling — has likely reinforced both words in English speakers' minds through folk etymology, even though the connection is coincidental.
Later History
The phrase 'pull yourself together' (regain composure) imagines a scattered or disintegrated self being reassembled by tractive force — pulling the fragments of one's composure back into a unified whole. 'Pull through' (survive a crisis) imagines being drawn through a narrow, dangerous passage. 'Pull out all the stops' (use maximum effort) comes from organ playing, where pulling out the stops allows all the pipes to sound at full volume.
In printing and publication, a 'pull' is a proof — a sheet pulled from the printing press to check the quality of the impression. This technical sense, dating from the hand-press era, preserves the literal physical action of pulling paper away from an inked surface. The modern term 'galley proof' has largely replaced it, but the older usage survives in specialized printing vocabulary.
The gravitational sense — the 'pull' of gravity, the 'pull' of the moon on tides — extends the mechanical meaning into physics. Gravity 'pulls' objects toward the earth, magnets 'pull' iron filings, and emotional situations exert a metaphorical 'pull' on human beings. This last extension demonstrates how deeply the concept of tractive force is embedded in English speakers' understanding of influence and motivation: whatever moves us toward something is perceived as pulling.