Category:Harness

Har"ness, n. Etym: [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. Gf. Iron.]

1. Originally, the complete dress, especially in a military sense, of a man or a horse; hence, in general, armor.

2. The equipment of a draught or carriage horse, for drawing a wagon, coach, chaise, etc.; gear; tackling.

3. 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. To die in harness, to die with armor on; hence, colloquially, to die while actively engaged in work or duty.

harness Har"ness, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Harnessed; p. pr. & vb. n. Harnessing.] Etym: [OE. harneisen; cf. F. harnacher, OF. harneschier.]

1. To dress in armor; to equip with armor for war, as a horseman; to array. Harnessed in rugged steel. Rowe. A gay dagger, Harnessed well and sharp as point of spear. Chaucer.

2. Fig.: To equip or furnish for defense. Dr. H. More.

3. To make ready for draught; to equip with harness, as a horse. Also used figuratively. Harnessed to some regular profession. J. C. Shairp. Harnessed antelope. (Zoöl.) See Guib. -- Harnessed moth (Zoöl.), an American bombycid moth (Arctia phalerata of Harris), having, on the fore wings, stripes and bands of buff on a black ground.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Harness - (1.) Heb. 'asar, "to bind;" hence the act of fastening animals to a cart (1 Samuel 6:7, 1 Samuel 6:10; Jeremiah 46:4, etc.). (2.) An Old English word for "armor;" Heb. neshek (2 Chronicles 9:24). (3.) Heb. shiryan, a coat of mail (1 Kings 22:34; 2 Chronicles 18:33; rendered "breastplate" in Isaiah 59:17). (4.) The children of Israel passed out of Egypt "harnessed" (Exodus 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.