HARNESS (from O. Fr. harneis or harnois; the ultimate origin is obscure; the

See also:

• CELTIC

Celtic origin which connects it with the Welsh haiarn,

See also:

• IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron, has phonetic and other difficulties; the

See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French is the origin of the Span. arnes, and Ger. Harnisch)  , probably, in origin, gear, tackle, equipment in general, but early applied particularly to the body armour of a soldier, including the trappings of the horse; now the general term for the gear of an animal used for draft purposes, traces, collar, bridle, girth, breeching, &c . It is usually not applied to the saddle or bridle of a riding animal . The word, in its original meaning of tackle or working apparatus, is still found in weaving, for the mechanism which shifts the warp-threads to form the " shed," and in bell-hanging, for the apparatus by which a large bell is hung . The New English Dictionary quotes an early use of the word for the lines, rod and hooks of an angler (Fysshing with an Angle, c . 1450) .