harness
pronunciation
How to pronounce harness in British English:
UK [ˈhɑːnɪs]
How to pronounce harness in American English:
US [ˈhɑːrnɪs]
-
- Noun:
- a support consisting of an arrangement of straps for holding something to the body (especially one supporting a person suspended from a parachute)
- stable gear consisting of an arrangement of leather straps fitted to a draft animal so that it can be attached to and pull a cart
-
- Verb:
- put a harness
- exploit the power of
- control and direct with or as if by reins
- keep in check
Word Origin
- harness
- harness: [13] Etymologically, harness is ‘equipment for an army’. It comes via Old French herneis ‘military equipment’ from an unrecorded Old Norse *hernest, a compound formed from herr ‘army’ (a descendant of prehistoric Germanic *kharjaz ‘crowd’ and related to English harangue, harbinger, harbour, and harry) and nest ‘provisions’.English took it over in the general sense ‘equipment’, and did not apply it specifically to the straps, buckles, etc of a horse until the 14th century (it was originally used for any equestrian equipment, including reins, saddles, etc, but now it denotes exclusively the gear of a draught horse).=> harangue, harbinger, harbour, harry, herald
- harness (n.)
- c. 1300, "personal fighting equipment, body armor," also "armor or trappings of a war-horse," from Old French harnois, a noun of broad meaning: "arms, equipment; harness; male genitalia; tackle; household equipment" (12c.), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse *hernest "provisions for an army," from herr "army" (see harry (v.)) + nest "provisions" (see nostalgia). Non-military sense of "fittings for a beast of burden" is from early 14c. German Harnisch "harness, armor" is the French word, borrowed into Middle High German. The Celtic words are believed to be also from French, as are Spanish arnes, Portuguese arnez, Italian arnese. Prive harness (late 14c.) was a Middle English term for "sex organs."
- harness (v.)
- "to put a harness on a draught animal," c. 1300, from Old French harneschier "make ready, equip, arm," from harnois (see harness (n.)); figurative sense "to control for use as power" is from 1690s. Related: Harnessed; harnessing.
Example
- 1. We harness fossil energy and breathe life into machines .
- 2. Recognize this and harness the energy it creates .
- 3. Harness the eu 's institutions to punish profligacy and excess .
- 4. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories .
- 5. Francois started to harness the dogs .