Promise
/ˈprɒmɪs/noun
A declaration or assurance that one will do something or that something will happen.
Did you know?Promise comes from Latin *promittere*, literally “to send forth,” from *pro-* “forward” + *mittere* “to send,” so a promise was originally treated like a word launched into the future.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meit-
“to send, let go, dispatch”
Latin
Latin
promittere
“to send forth, foretell, promise”
Old French
Old French
promesse
“a promise, vow, assurance”
Middle English
English
promyse
“a vow, declaration, or assurance”
Modern English
English
promise
“a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that something will happen”