harness

harness
harnesser, n.harnessless, adj.harnesslike, adj.
/hahr"nis/, n.
1. the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal. Cf. yoke1 (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. Elect. See wiring harness.
5. armor for persons or horses.
7. 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.
v.t.
8. to put a harness on (a horse, donkey, dog, etc.); attach by a harness, as to a vehicle.
9. 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.
10. Archaic. to array in armor or equipments of war.
[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]
Syn. 9. control, manage, utilize, exploit.

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gear
      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.

      The basic harness used for horses in Western cultures consists of a padded leather collar resting on the horse's shoulders and several associated straps. Two rigid pieces of metal called hames rest on this collar, fastened at top and bottom by hame straps. To this assemblage are attached the traces, straps that pass back along the animal's sides and are connected to the load. Other straps encase the animal's body and reinforce the rig. Reins are long straps that pass from the bridle (q.v.) on the horse's head, through loops in the hames, and back to the hands of the driver, who uses the reins to control the animal.

      When a horse is harnessed between shafts, the shafts are usually supported by a back pad; this is a narrow leather cushion resting on the horse's back, and attached to the shaft by straps and held in position by a girth, or bellyband, and a backband that completely encircle the horse's midsection.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • harness — [här′nis] n. [ME harneis < OFr, armor < ON * hernest, military supplies < herr, army, akin to HARRY + nest, provisions] 1. Archaic armor and other military equipment for a man or horse 2. the assemblage of leather straps and metal pieces …   English World dictionary

  • harness — har‧ness [ˈhɑːns ǁ ˈhɑːr ] verb [transitive] to control and use a natural force or people s energy or skills: • He designs systems to harness the energy of waves to produce electricity. * * * harness UK US /ˈhɑːnɪs/ verb [T] ► to collect and… …   Financial and business terms

  • Harness — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Charles L. Harness (1915–2005), US amerikanischer Schriftsteller Forest Harness (1895–1974), US amerikanischer Politiker Harness steht außerdem für: das Geschirr eines Zugtieres Synonym für einen Lifebelt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • harness — ► NOUN 1) a set of straps and fittings by which a horse or other draught animal is fastened to a cart, plough, etc. and is controlled by its driver. 2) a similar arrangement of straps, as for fastening a parachute to a person s body or for… …   English terms dictionary

  • Harness — Har ness ( n[e^]s), n. [OE. harneis, harnes, OF. harneis, F. harnais, harnois; of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. harnez old iron, armor, W. haiarn iron, Armor. houarn, Ir. iarann, Gael. iarunn. Cf. {Iron}.] 1. Originally, the complete dress,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harness — [n] gear for controlling an animal belt, equipment, strap, tack, tackle, trappings; concept 496 harness [v] rein in; control accouter, apply, bind, bridle, channel, check, cinch, collar, constrain, couple, curb, domesticate, employ, equip,… …   New thesaurus

  • Harness — Har ness, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Harnessed} ( n[e^]st); p. pr. & vb. n. {Harnessing}.] [OE. harneisen; cf. F. harnacher, OF. harneschier.] 1. To dress in armor; to equip with armor for war, as a horseman; to array. [1913 Webster] Harnessed in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harness — index confine, constrain (imprison), constrain (restrain), curb, discipline (control), handcuff …   Law dictionary

  • Harness — A harness is a looped restraint or support.Harness may also refer to: *Harness (comics), a character in the Marvel Comics universe *Child harness *Climbing harness *Dog harness *Horse harness *Parrot harness *Safety harness *Test harness, in… …   Wikipedia

  • harness — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 for a horse ADJECTIVE ▪ leather VERB + HARNESS ▪ put on ▪ remove, take off PREPOSITION …   Collocations dictionary

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