promise

English Online Dictionary. What means promise‎? What does promise mean?

English

Alternative forms

• promyse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter of promissus, past participle of prōmittō (“I 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 Old English ġehātan (“to promise”) and ġehāt (“a promise”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒmɪs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑmɪs/
• Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -ɒmɪs, (General American) -ɑmɪs
• Hyphenation: prom‧ise

Noun

promise (countable and uncountable, plural promises)

1. (countable) an oath or affirmation; a vow

2. (countable) 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.

3. (uncountable) Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.

   • My native country was full of youthful promise.

4. (countable, computing, programming) A placeholder object representing the eventual result of an asynchronous operation.

   Synonyms: delay, deferred, (imprecise) future

5. (countable, obsolete) bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised

   • He […] commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive, intransitive) To commit to (some action or outcome), or to assure (a person) of such commitment; to make an oath or vow.
   • 1936 Aug., Ernest Hemingway, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber", Cosmopolitan:

     "You think that I'll take anything."
     "I know you will, sweet." [...]
     "There wasn't going to be any of that. You promised there wouldn't be."
     "Well, there is now," she said sweetly.

2. (intransitive) To give grounds for expectation, especially of something good.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• halsen

Related terms

Translations

See also

• election promise

Further reading

• “promise”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “promise”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Promise on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• imposer, porimes, semipro

French

Pronunciation

Participle

promise f sg

1. feminine singular of the past participle of promettre

Further reading

• “promise”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• imposer

Italian

Verb

promise

1. third-person singular past historic of promettere

Anagrams

• espormi, esprimo, impreso, semiprò, spermio

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [proˈmise]

Adjective

promise

1. feminine/neuter plural of promis

Verb

promise

1. third-person singular simple perfect indicative of promite