'Pull' started as plucking feathers — then broadened dramatically to become the standard verb for tractive force.
To exert force on something so as to move it toward oneself or in a specified direction; to tug or draw.
From Old English 'pullian' meaning 'to pluck, pull, draw, snatch,' of uncertain ultimate origin. It may be related to Low German 'pulen' (to pull, pluck, strip the husk from) and Frisian 'pūlje' (to shell, husk). The word appears to be of native English origin with cognates limited to the Low German/Frisian area. In Old English, 'pullian' specifically meant plucking out feathers or hairs — a precise, small-scale action. The broadening to general pulling and tugging occurred
In Old English, 'pullian' meant specifically 'to pluck feathers' — a tiny, precise action. Over the following centuries, it muscled its way up to become the general word for any tractive force, displacing the mightier 'draw' and 'drag' from everyday use. It went from plucking a chicken to pulling a train.