Promise
late Middle English: from Latin promissum ‘something promised’, neuter past participle of promittere ‘put forth, promise’, from pro- ‘forward’ + mittere ‘send’.
wiktionary
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”).
etymonline
promise (n.)
c. 1400, promisse, "a solemn pledge; a vow; a declaration in reference to the future made by one person to another, assuring the latter that the former will do, or not do, a specified act," from Old French promesse "promise, guarantee, assurance" (13c.) and directly from Latin promissum "a promise," noun use of neuter past participle of promittere "send forth; let go; foretell; assure beforehand, promise," from pro "before" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before") + mittere "to release, let go; send, throw" (see mission).
Sense of "that which affords a basis for hope or expectation of future excellence or distinction" is by 1530s.
promise (v.)
c. 1400, promisen, "make a promise of," from promise (n.). Meaning "afford reason to expect" is from 1590s. Related: Promised; promising. In Middle English also promit (promitten), from the Latin verb. The promised land (1530s, earlier lond of promission, mid-13c.; province of promissioun, late 15c.) is a reference to the land of Canaan promised to Abraham and his progeny (Hebrew xi:9, etc.; Greek ten ges tes epangelias).
