Quick Definition: apparatus for controlling a horse or for fastening a horse to a cart; V.
harness (hr'nĭs) 
n.- The gear or tackle, other than a yoke, with which a draft animal pulls a vehicle or implement.
- Something resembling such gear or tackle, as the arrangement of straps used to hold a parachute to the body.
- A device that raises and lowers the warp threads on a loom.
- Archaic. Armor for a man or horse.
tr.v., -nessed, -nessing, -nesses.- To put a harness on (a draft animal).
- To fasten by the use of a harness.
- To bring under control and direct the force of: If you can harness your energy, you will accomplish a great deal.
idiom:in harness
- On duty or at work.
[Middle English harnes, from Old French harneis, of Germanic origin.]
har'nesser n.
harness
v Definition: rein in; control
Antonyms: release, unharness
harness, comprehensive term for the gear of a draft animal, excluding the yoke, by which it is attached to the load that it pulls. Although harnesses are used on dogs (for drawing travois and dogsleds), on goats, and sometimes on oxen, the typical harness is for horses. There are two main kindsthe collar harness and the breast harness. In the collar harness a padded leather collar fits over the horse's shoulders; to it are fastened the hames, linked metal parts with two curved projections to which are attached the traces, leather straps that pass down the sides of the horse and by which the load is drawn. In the breast harness the traces are attached to a breastband that crosses the shoulders below the neck. The horse is controlled by reins or lines attached to the bit, a metal mouthpiece held in place by the bridle, i.e., the various straps and buckles that make up the headgear of the horse, including the blinders. A long, narrow saddle pad is held in place on the horse's back by a bellyband (or girth), a backband, and a crupper, a loop under the tail. The reins pass through rings on the hames and on the saddle pad; looped straps on the pad hold the shafts of a vehicle. The breeching, a strap that passes around the hindquarters below the tail and is held in place by hip straps, bears the stress when the horse is backed up or is going downhill. There are many individual parts of the various harnesses, each of them having a specific name; the different kinds of bits alone are innumerable. Harness making is an ancient craft, dating from the domestication of the horse; the saddle was a later invention.
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words. The noun harness has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1: a support consisting of an arrangement of straps for holding something to the body (especially one supporting a person suspended from a parachute)
Meaning #2: 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
The verb harness has 4 meanings:
Meaning #1: put a harness on; of animals such as horses
Antonym: unharness (meaning #1)
Meaning #2: exploit the power of
Meaning #3: control and direct with or as if by reins; as of a horse
Synonyms: rein in, draw rein, rein
Meaning #4: keep in check
Synonyms: rule, rein
harness
The term harness has been used for many centuries for part of the collection of equipment known as horse tack, essential in the domestic, military, and agrarian use of horses. Several derived contexts now exist. Examples:
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Translations for: Harness Nederlands (Dutch)
harnas, paardentuig, gareel, klimgordel, in-/ optuigen, be-/inspannen, harnassen, benutten, in reserve houden
Franais (French)
harnacher, atteler, exploiter, collier, harnais
Deutsch (German)
v. - anschirren, nutzen
n. - Geschirr, Laufgurt
ή (Greek)
v. ύ, ώ, ά ή, (.) ύ, ώ n. ή, ά, ή, ά, ύ
Italiano (Italian)
aggiogare, imbrigliare, finimenti, bardatura, briglie
Portugus (Portuguese)
v. - arrear, amarrar, utilizar
n. - arreio (m)
Русский (Russian)
упряжь, доспехи, инвентарь, запрягать, обуздывать, покорять
Espaol (Spanish)
n. - collera, arneses, arreos, guarniciones
v. tr. - enjaezar, uncir
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - sela (p), tmja, utnyttja
n. - sele (v. bildl.), rustning (hist.), polisuniform, skinnknuttekldsel
中国话 (Simplified Chinese)
n. - 马具, 甲胄, 系在身上的绳子
v. tr. - 上马具, 利用产生动力, 披上甲胄
中國話 (Traditional Chinese)
n. - 馬具, 甲胄, 繫在身上的繩子
v. tr. - 上馬具, 利用產生動力, 披上甲胄
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 馬具, よろい, 装置, ハーネス, 引き具
v. - 引き具を付ける, によろいをつける, 動力化する, 利用する
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يطقم الفرس, يشد عليها عدتها, يشد إلى نير, يربط ما بين, يستخدم, يسخر (الاسم) طقم الفرس, , عدة جهاز, روتين العمل, عدة الحرب للفرس, أو الانسان
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - רתמה, כלי-רתמה
v. tr. - רתם, ניצל (נהר להפקת כוח)
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Mentioned In
harness is mentioned in the following topics:
