Other forms: harnesses, harnessed, harnessing
A harness is a set of straps that holds a body in place so it can pull, or so it cannot fall. The leather straps on a cart horse, the buckles a climber steps into, the five-point harness in a child's car seat.
The verb starts in the same stable — you harness a horse to a plough — and then travels a long way from it: harness the wind, harness solar power, harness the energy of a young team. That second use is the one you will meet most, and it means taking something wild or wasted and putting it to work. It takes a plain object with no preposition, so harness the tide, not harness to the tide. It is a compliment: harnessing something means using it well instead of letting it run loose.
1nounsetA set of straps fastened round an animal or person, for pulling a load or for safety.~72%
“The climber checked her harness twice before stepping off the ledge.”
2verbharnessTo bring a natural force or ability under control and put it to use.~26%
“The mill harnessed the river to grind corn for the whole valley.”
3verbattachTo put a harness on an animal and attach it to a cart or plough.~2%
“They harnessed the two ponies to the cart before dawn.”
Shares are an estimate: a language model read 16 sentences found in the wild and placed 15 of them on a sense (1 were unclear) — a count of our sample, not a measurement of English.
Harness came from Anglo-Norman harneis and Old French hernois, equipment used in battle, and behind those probably Old Norse hernest — herr, an army, plus nest, provisions. Army supplies. From a soldier's kit to a horse's straps to harnessing the wind is a long walk for one small word.
Proto-Germanic
*nesaną — to heal, recover
Old Norse
*hernest
Old French
hernois — equipment used in battle
Anglo-Norman
harneis
Middle English
harneys
English, today
harness
Built from
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.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA