Word of the Day: Promise

prom-ise / ˈpräməs noun  

1. a declaration that one will or will not do something

There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept. Gaelic Proverb  

2. reason to expect something

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. Traditional Saying, often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882  

3. something one has expressly confirmed

April is a promise that May is bound to keep. Hal Borland, 1900-1978  

4. indication of future achievement, excellence, etc.

The very best thing that could happen to a voice, if it shows any promise at all, is when it is very young to leave it alone and to let it develop quite naturally, and to let the person go on as long as possible with the sheer joy of singing. Jessye Norman, 1945-     verb  

1. to pledge to do, provide, etc.

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. A.A. Milne, 1882-1953  

2. to suggest beforehand; to foretell

Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day And make me travel forth without my cloak, To let base clouds o’ertake me in my way, Hiding thy brav’ry in their rotten smoke? from ‘Sonnet 34’ by William Shakespeare, 1564-1616