different between harness vs harnessing

English

Etymology

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 Old Norse heer (“army”) + nest (“provisions”). More at harry.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h??(?).n?s/
• Rhymes: -??(?)n?s

Noun

harness (countable and uncountable, plural harnesses)

1. (countable) A restraint or support, especially one consisting of a loop or network of rope or straps.
2. (countable) A collection of wires or cables bundled and routed according to their function.
3. (dated, uncountable) The complete dress, especially in a military sense, of a man or a horse; armour in general.
   • 1606 William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act V, scene V

     Ring the alarum-bell! Blow, wind! come, wrack!

     At least we'll die with harness on our back.

4. 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.
5. Equipment for any kind of labour.

Alternative forms

• harnass (rare, archaic)

Derived terms

• harnessed antelope
• harnessed moth
• test harness

Translations

Verb

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.
2. (transitive) To capture, control or put to use.
3. (transitive) To equip with armour.

Translations

See also

• harness on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Harness in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• Shaners

English

Verb

harnessing

1. present participle of harness

Noun

harnessing (plural harnessings)

1. The materials used to harness an animal.
   • 1950, Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast

     All this, along with the carriages and harnessings of the horses, was temporarily housed in the armoury on the east side of one of the inner quadrangles.