Meaning

noun a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future

noun grounds for feeling hopeful about the future

verb make a promise or commitment

originFrom 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”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0