promise

English

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Alternative forms

  • promice
  • promize
  • promyse

Etymology

From Middle English promis (“promis, promisse”), from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin promissa, Latin promissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter of Latin promissus, past participle of promittere (“to send or put forth, let go forward, say beforehand, promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mittere (“to send”); see mission. Compare admit, commit, permit, etc. Displaced native Middle English beheste, bihest (“promise, behest”) (from Old English behǣs (“promise, vow”)), Middle English hight (“promise”) (from Old English hēht, past tense of Old English hātan (“to promise”)), Middle English hat, haut (“promise, vow”) (from Old English ġehāt (“promise, vow”)), Middle English quidde, quid (“saying, promise”). Compare Middle English forhaten, forhauten (“to promise”).

Pronunciation

Noun

promise (plural promises)

  1. An oath or affirmation; a vow.
    • If I make a promise, I always stick to it.
    • He broke his promise.
  2. A transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.
    • 1668 July 3rd, James Dalrymple, “Thomas Rue contra Andrew Houſtoun” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), pages 547–548
      He purſued Andrew Houſtoun upon his promiſe, to give him the like Sallary for the next year, and in abſence obtained him to be holden as confeſt and Decerned.

Translations

vow
transaction
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Verb

promise (third-person singular simple present promises, present participle promising, simple past and past participle promised)

  1. (transitive) To commit to something or action; to make an oath; make a vow.
    • If you promise not to tell anyone, I will let you have this cake for free.
    • She promised me it was her first time.
    • He promised to never return to this town again.
    • She promised me a big kiss if I pick her up for the airport.
    • I can't promise success, but I'll do the best I can.
  2. (intransitive) To give grounds for expectation, especially of something good.
    • 1897, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, The Celebrity[1]:
      I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.

Usage notes

Translations

to commit to something or action

See also

Statistics

External links

Related terms

Anagrams

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French

Verb

promise f

  1. feminine past participle of promettre

Anagrams

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Italian

Verb

promise

  1. third-person singular past historic of promettere

Anagrams

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Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA: [proˈmise]

Adjective

promise

  1. feminine plural form of promis
  2. neuter plural form of promis

Verb

promise

  1. third-person singular simple perfect form of promite.
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Last modified on 20 May 2013, at 19:43