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harness

 - 7 dictionary results
Harness
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har⋅ness

  [hahr-nis]
Use harness in a Sentence
–noun
1. the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal. Compare yoke 1 (def. 1).
2. (on a loom) the frame containing heddles through which the warp is drawn and which, in combination with another such frame or other frames, forms the shed and determines the woven pattern.
3. the equipment, as straps, bolts, or gears, by which a large bell is mounted and rung.
4. Electricity. wiring harness.
5. armor for persons or horses.
–verb (used with object)
6. to put a harness on (a horse, donkey, dog, etc.); attach by a harness, as to a vehicle.
7. to bring under conditions for effective use; gain control over for a particular end: to harness water power; to harness the energy of the sun.
8. Archaic. to array in armor or equipments of war.
—Idioms
9. in double harness. double harness (def. 2).
10. in harness,
a. engaged in one's usual routine of work: After his illness he longed to get back in harness.
b. together as cooperating partners or equals: Joe and I worked in harness on our last job.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME harneis, herneis < OF herneis baggage, equipment < ON *hernest provisions for an armed force, equiv. to herr army (cf. harbor, herald ) + nest provisions for a journey

Related forms:
har⋅ness⋅er, noun
har⋅ness⋅less, adjective
har⋅ness⋅like, adjective

Synonyms:
7. control, manage, utilize, exploit.
Harness
Body Harnesses, Roofer's Kits & More at Northern Tool. Save!
NorthernTool.com/Safety
Fall Protection Harnesses
Extensive line of Harnesses, Belts and Accessories. Online Purchase.
AllSafetySupplies.com

wiring harness

 
–noun Electricity.
a system of insulated conducting wires bound together with insulating materials, used in the electrical system of a machine, as a motor vehicle or washing machine.
Also called harness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To harness
har·ness   (här'nĭs)   
n.  

  1. The gear or tackle, other than a yoke, with which a draft animal pulls a vehicle or implement.

  2. Something resembling such gear or tackle, as the arrangement of straps used to hold a parachute to the body.

  3. A device that raises and lowers the warp threads on a loom.

  4. Archaic Armor for a man or horse.

tr.v.   har·nessed, har·ness·ing, har·ness·es

    1. To put a harness on (a draft animal).

    2. To fasten by the use of a harness.

  2. To bring under control and direct the force of: If you can harness your energy, you will accomplish a great deal.


[Middle English harnes, from Old French harneis, of Germanic origin; see nes-1 in Indo-European roots.]
har'ness·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

harness 
c.1300, from O.Fr. harneis, perhaps from O.N. *hernest "provisions for an army," from herr "army" + nest "provisions." Ger. Harnisch "harness, armor" is the O.Fr. word, borrowed into M.H.G. The verb meaning "to put a harness on a draught animal" is from c.1300; figurative sense is from 1698.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Bible Dictionary

Harness

(1.) Heb. 'asar, "to bind;" hence the act of fastening animals to a cart (1 Sam. 6:7, 10; Jer. 46:4, etc.). (2.) An Old English word for "armour;" Heb. neshek (2 Chr. 9:24). (3.) Heb. shiryan, a coat of mail (1 Kings 22:34; 2 Chr. 18:33; rendered "breastplate" in Isa. 59:17). (4.) The children of Israel passed out of Egypt "harnessed" (Ex. 13:18), i.e., in an orderly manner, and as if to meet a foe. The word so rendered is probably a derivative from Hebrew _hamesh_ (i.e., "five"), and may denote that they went up in five divisions, viz., the van, centre, two wings, and rear-guard.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

harness

see die with one's boots on (in harness) in harness.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

harness

the gear or tackle other than a yoke of a draft animal (as a horse, dog, or goat). The modern harness appears to have been developed in China some time before AD 500 and to have been in use in Europe by 800

Learn more about harness with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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