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promettre

Etymology and origin of the French word promettre

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
second half of the 10th century, Vie de saint Léger (prometre)
Borrowed from
Latin promitto
Ultimate origin
Latin (mittō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin promitto
French promettre

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁɔ.mɛtʁ/[1]

Forms

promettre[1] Old French prometre, also prametre, promettre from about 1265 (Jean de Meun).[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin prōmittō (“to let go forward; to assure, guarantee; to foretell”), an early borrowing adapted to mettre.[4][5][6][7] The Latin verb is formed of prō- (“forward”) and mittō (“to send”).[5][2] Wiktionary takes it as inherited, through Old French “prometre”.[1]

Cognate with Old Occitan prometre, Spanish prometer and Italian promettere.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Life of Saint Leger (second half of the 10th century) Peis li promest “he promises him peace”: to commit oneself to something.[4] The Chanson de Roland has the participle pramis.[8][3]

Semantic evolution

French took only the figurative Latin senses.[5] With a thing as subject it meant “to seem to announce” (Eneas, about 1160: sky and sea promise him death), and “to foretell” (about 1220) until prédire took over.[4][5] Used absolutely, “to show great promise”, it is in Amyot (1559), and ironically ça promet! in 1784.[4][5]

Se promettre meant to vow (about 1135), and, from 1538 to count on something; the reciprocal use “to promise each other” is of the 17th century.[4][5] The participle gave terre promise (15th century, again in Pascal), un promis “fiancé” (1538), now regional or ironic, and chose promise, chose due (1694).[4][5]

Timeline

  • Second half of the 10th century – Promest, Life of Saint Leger.[4]
  • c. 1100 – Pramis, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • c. 1160 – “To seem to announce”, Eneas.[4]
  • 1538 – Promis “fiancé”.[4]
  • 1559 – Absolute “to show promise”, Amyot.[4]
  • 1784 – Ça promet!.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To promise: promettre son aide, promettre de venir, il m'a promis qu'il viendrait.[9][1]
  2. To assure, assert: je te le promets.[9]
  3. To give hope of, foreshadow: le temps promet de la pluie, (absolutely) to be promising, ça promet! (ironic).[4][1]
  4. Se promettre: to resolve; to look forward to: se promettre du plaisir.[1][4]
  5. Promettre monts et merveilles: to promise the earth.[3][1]

Word family

  • promesse
  • prometteur
  • promis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 441a
  8. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Promettre.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/promettre. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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