Pulling or dragging something heavy from one place to another.
From Old Norse 'hala' (to pull, drag), entered English through Norman French. The word relates to similar dragging/pulling words across Germanic languages. 'Haul' and 'hall' may share ancient roots referring to pulling or drawing space.
The phrase 'over the haul' comes from hauling in fishing—fishermen would haul nets repeatedly, and 'over the long haul' meant after many repetitions, which is why we use it today for anything that takes sustained effort over time!
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