harness - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A harness on a capybara

From Middle English harneys, harnes, harneis, harnais, herneis, from Anglo-Norman harneis and Old French hernois (“equipment used in battle”), believed to be from Old Norse *hernest, from herr (“army”) + nest (“provisions”) (from Proto-Germanic *nesaną (“to heal, recover”)). More at harry.

harness (countable and uncountable, plural harnesses)

  1. (countable) A restraint or support, especially one consisting of a loop or network of rope or straps, and especially one worn by a working animal such as a horse pulling a carriage or farm implement.
  2. (countable) A collection of wires or cables bundled and routed according to their function: a wiring harness.
    • 2024 December 27, Pip Dunn, “Network News: Hitachi pushes on with '810' assembly and testing”, in RAIL, number 1025, page 20:
      The cars then enter the main lines for further assembly - including the installation of internal electrical harnesses, underfloor equipment, internal panelling, roof equipment, carpets, seats and tables.
  3. (dated, uncountable) The complete dress, especially in a military sense, of a man or a horse; armour in general.
    • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
      Ring the alarum-bell! Blow, wind! come, wrack!
      At least we'll die with harness on our back.
    • 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 210:
      "I'll give thee for my ransom the very best harnéss
      That either young or old in the world doth possess.
    • 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 23:
      Under the sea-girt cliffs the shining ship was readied, laden with coats of mail, swords, and gleaming war harness.
  4. (weaving) The part of a loom comprising the heddles, with their means of support and motion, by which the threads of the warp are alternately raised and depressed for the passage of the shuttle.
    Synonym: shaft
  5. Equipment for any kind of labour.
  6. (software engineering) A software framework.
    test harness
    1. (agentic artificial intelligence) A system designed to manage the use of AI agents, specifically in software development.
      harness engineering

restraint or support

armour

harness (third-person singular simple present harnesses, present participle harnessing, simple past and past participle harnessed)

  1. (transitive) To place a harness on something; to tie up or restrain.
    Synonym: tackle
    They harnessed the horse to the post.
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
  2. (transitive) To capture, control or put to use.
    Imagine what might happen if it were possible to harness solar energy fully.
    • 2013 August 16, John Vidal, “Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 8:
      Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.
  3. (transitive) To equip with armour.

to place a harness on something

to control or put to use