means A strong cord made by twisting or braiding together strands of fiber, wire, or other material, used for pulling, lifting, binding, or climbing.

from From Old English 'rap,' a thick cord, sharing roots with Old Norse 'reip' and Old High German 'reif' (a hoop or band). The Germanic family traces back to a Proto-Germanic '*raipaz,' suggesting something twisted or bound around — a fitting ancestry for a word whose whole job is to wrap, bind, and hold. The phrase 'to know the ropes' is genuinely nautical, from sailors who had to master the bewildering rigging of a sailing ship.