means Strong woven fabric made in narrow, tightly interlaced strips, used as straps in belts, harnesses, backpacks, furniture, and safety gear where flat strength matters.

from From "web" — Old English "webb," meaning a woven fabric or something spun, the same root that gives us the spider's web and the weaver's "woof." It traces back to the Germanic verb for weaving (cousin to German "weben"). The "-ing" turns it into the stuff of weaving itself: webbing is, quite literally, the woven thing — the name simply describes how those load-bearing straps are made, thread crossed over thread until they can hold a falling body or a packed trunk.