束ねる

たばねる · tabaneru · JLPT N1 · verb-ichidan

to tie up in a bundle

🪢 束 = bundle; ねる = twist: bind loose strands, then hold them in check

束 means bundle, so 束ねる is to tie things into a bundle. Gathering loose things into one bundle is also how you bring them under control.

束 — 木 (tree) with 口 wrapped around middle
Pictograph of a bundle: a tree or sticks (木) tied together with a band or rope (depicted by the enclosing 口 in the middle). The original sense was 'to bind' or 'a bundle,' which extended to meanings like 'to restrain,' 'to control,' and the measure word for bundled things.

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