An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/tragen

by Friedrich Kluge

tragen, vb., ‘to bear, carry, support, endure,’ from the equiv. MidHG. tragen, OHG. tragan, str. vb., ‘to bear, hold, bring, lead’; corresponding to OSax. dragan, Du. dragen, Goth. dragan, str. vb., ‘to bear.’ Whether OIc. draga, AS. dragan, equiv. to E. to draw, are entirely different from these cognates is open to doubt. The Teut. root drag, ‘to bear’ (from Aryan dhragh), has been compared with OSlov. drŭžati, ‘to hold’