promise
pronunciation
How to pronounce promise in British English:
UK [ˈprɒmɪs]
How to pronounce promise in American English:
US [ˈprɑːmɪs]
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- Noun:
- a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
- grounds for feeling hopeful about the future
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- Verb:
- make a promise or commitment
- promise to undertake or give
- make a prediction about; tell in advance
- give grounds for expectations
Word Origin
- promise
- promise: [14] Latin prōmittere originally meant simply ‘send forth’ (it was a compound verb formed from the prefix prō- ‘forward’ and mittere ‘send’, source of English mission, missile, transmit, etc). But it soon evolved metaphorically via ‘say in advance, foretell’ to ‘cause to expect’ and hence ‘promise’ – the sense adopted into English via its past participle prōmissum.=> admit, commit, missile, mission, submit, transmit
- promise (n.)
- c. 1400, "a pledge, vow," from Old French promesse "promise, guarantee, assurance" (13c.) and directly from Latin promissum "a promise," noun use of neuter past participle of promittere "send forth; let go; foretell; assure beforehand, promise," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + mittere "to put, send" (see mission). The ground sense is "declaration made about the future, about some act to be done or not done."
- promise (v.)
- c. 1400, from promise (n.). Related: Promised; promising. Promised land (1530s) is a reference to the land of Canaan promised to Abraham and his progeny (Hebrew xi:9, etc.; Greek ten ges tes epangelias).
Example
- 1. Implementing the latest promise will not be easy .
- 2. All presidential candidates promise to reform washington .
- 3. He did not wait long before fulfilling his promise .
- 4. But his approach has started to show more promise .
- 5. She more than hesitated to promise that .