promise

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɑmɪs/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: A2 — Elementary

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
  2. noun grounds for feeling hopeful about the future
  3. verb make a promise or commitment

Etymology

From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter past participles of prōmittō (“to send forth, to say beforehand, to promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mittere (“to send”); see mission. Compare admit, commit, permit, etc. Displaced native ġehātan (“to promise”) and ġehāt (“a promise”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
speech act, commitment
Narrower (hyponyms)
rain check, betrothal, pinning, parole, oath

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →