promise

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

FromMiddle Englishpromis, promisse,borrowed fromOld Frenchpromesse,fromMedieval Latinprōmissa,Latinprōmissum(“a promise”),feminine and neuter past participles ofprōmittō(“I send forth, I say beforehand, I promise”),frompro(“forth”)+mittere(“to send”);seemission.Compareadmit,commit,permit,etc. Displaced nativeġehātan(“to promise”)andġehāt(“a promise”).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

promise(countableanduncountable,pluralpromises)

  1. (countable)anoathoraffirmation;avow
    if I make apromise,I always stick to it
    he broke hispromise
  2. (countable,law)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.
    • 1668July 3rd,James Dalrymple,“Thomas RuecontraAndrew Houſtoun” inThe Deciſions of the Lords of Council & SeſſionI (Edinburgh, 1683),pages 547–548
      He purſuedAndrew Houſtounupon hispromiſe,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.
    • 1819June 23 –1820September 13,Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym;Washington Irving], “(please specify the title)”,inThe Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.,New York, N.Y.:[…]C[ornelius]S. Van Winkle,[…],→OCLC:
      My native country was full of youthfulpromise.
    • 1963,Margery Allingham,chapter 1, inThe China Governess: A Mystery,London:Chatto & Windus,→OCLC:
      The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of apromiserather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.
    She shows greatpromiseas an actress.
  4. (countable,computing)Aplaceholderobjectrepresenting the eventual result of anasynchronousoperation.
    • 2023August 25, “Observables compared to other techniques”, inAngular 17 documentation‎[1],Google:
      You can often use observables instead ofpromisesto deliver values asynchronously.
  5. (countable,obsolete)bestowalorfulfillmentof what is promised

Translations

[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

[edit]

promise(third-person singular simple presentpromises,present participlepromising,simple past and past participlepromised)

  1. (transitive,intransitive)Tocommitto (some action or outcome), or toassure(a person) of such commitment; to make anoathorvow.
    • 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. Youpromisedthere wouldn't be. "
      "Well, there is now," she said sweetly.
    • 2013June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”,inThe Economist,volume407,number8841,page70:
      Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more thanpromisingcolossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
    If youpromisenot to tell anyone, I will let you have this cake for free.
    Shepromisedto never return to this town again.
    Hepromisedme a big kiss if I would drive him to the airport.
    I can'tpromisesuccess, but I'll do the best I can.
  2. (intransitive)To give grounds forexpectation,especially of something good.
    The cloudspromiserain.

Usage notes

[edit]

Synonyms

[edit]
[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]
terms derived from noun and verb

Further reading

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]

French

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Participle

[edit]

promisefsg

  1. femininesingularofpromis

Further reading

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]

Italian

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

promise

  1. third-personsingularpast historic ofpromettere

Anagrams

[edit]

Romanian

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

promise

  1. feminine/neuterpluralofpromis

Verb

[edit]

promise

  1. third-personsingularsimpleperfectindicativeofpromite
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=promise&oldid=81468864"