'Team' originally meant draft animals yoked together — creatures pulling in unison became any shared effort.
A group of people working together for a common purpose, especially in sport.
From Old English 'tēam' meaning 'set of draft animals yoked together,' also 'offspring, family line, brood,' from Proto-Germanic '*taumaz' (that which draws or pulls), from Proto-Indo-European '*dewk-' (to pull, draw, lead). The original sense was a chain of animals — especially oxen — harnessed together to pull a plow or cart. The metaphorical leap from yoked animals pulling in unison to humans working