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harnais

harness

noun ahr-NAY Rare
Travel & Places Transportation

Origin: Old French harneis ('military equipment'), of Germanic origin

Also means

gear, tackle

Usage Note

Harnais is invariable in spelling — the final s is always written even in the singular and is always silent. It covers horse harnesses, climbing harnesses, and safety harnesses (harnais de sécurité). The idiom blanchir sous le harnais ('to grow old in harness') means to have spent one's career in a job.

Examples

"L'équipe vérifie le harnais avant l'escalade."

Natural Translation

The team checks the harness before the climb.

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