Harness Once Meant a Suit of Armour
A harness is a set of straps for controlling or securing. The word first meant a soldier's equipment, then a horse's, then a climber's.
A harness is an arrangement of straps: on a horse, on a climber, on a child in a car seat. Its first English meaning was military gear — armour and equipment — and Shakespeare still uses it that way. Horses inherited the word, and then everything else did. As a verb it means to put something to work: harnessing a river, harnessing anger.
- Straps for controlling an animal. *A pony in harness.*
- A safety strap system. *A climbing harness.*
- To control and use a force. *Harness the wind.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | harness | A leather harness. |
| Plural | harnesses | Two harnesses. |
| Verb | harness | Harness the tide. |
| Past | harnessed | Harnessed to a cart. |
| Phrase | in harness | Back in harness. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Check the harness before you climb.Safety equipment.
- The estate harnessed the stream for power.Putting a force to work.
- He died in harness at seventy-one.Meaning still working.
Harness in different fields
- Draught harness — for pulling a cart or plough
- Safety harness — climbing, roofing, and stunt work
- Wiring harness — a bundle of cables in a vehicle
- Harness racing — trotting races with a light cart
- Parachute harness — the straps carrying the load
From Old French *harneis*, military equipment or baggage, probably from Old Norse. The peaceful senses took over as armour disappeared.
What does *in harness* mean about a person?
At work, doing the everyday job. To die in harness is to die still working.
Harness or halter?
A halter goes on the head and leads an animal. A harness goes round the body and lets it pull or be restrained.