Etymology

harness

H4A1R1N1E1S1S1

Today it means: A restraint or support, especially one consisting of a loop or network of rope or straps, and especially one worn by a working animal such as a horse pulling a carriage or farm implement. Full definition →

Middle English harneys ← Anglo-Norman harneis ← Old French hernois
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*nesaną“to heal, recover”
  2. Old Norse · derived from*hernest
  3. Old French · derived fromhernois“equipment used in battle”
  4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromharneis
  5. Middle English · inherited fromharneys
  6. English todayharness

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 4.0.