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Origin and history of promising

promising(adj.)

"showing signs of future excellence, looking as if likely to turn out well," c. 1600, present-participle adjective from promise (v.). Related: Promisingly.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to promising

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).

unpromising(adj.)

"not affording favorable promise of excellence or success, not looking likely to turn out well," 1660s, from un- (1) "not" + promising (adj.).

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    bright
    "radiating or reflecting light," Old English bryht, metathesis of beorht "bright; splendid; clear-sounding; beautiful; divine," from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz "bright" (source also of Old Saxon berht, Old Norse bjartr, Old High German beraht, Gothic bairhts "bright"), from PIE root
    rosy
    The meaning "promising" is by 1887. Similar formation in Middle Dutch rosich, Dutch rozig, German rosig....
    prospect
    The sense of "person or thing considered promising" is from 1922, from the earlier sense of "expectation, ground of expectation...
    surprise
    A Surprize is ... a dish ... which promising little from its first appearance, when open abounds with all sorts of variety...
    fair
    From c. 1300 as "promising good fortune, auspicious." Also from c. 1300 as "above average, considerable, sizable."...
    anticipate
    1530s, "to cause to happen sooner," a back-formation from anticipation, or else from Latin anticipatus, past participle of anticipare "take (care of) ahead of time," literally "taking into possession beforehand," from anti, an old form of ante "before" (from PIE root *ant- "front
    guess
    c. 1300, gessen "to infer from observation, perceive, find out; form an opinion, judge, decide, discern; evaluate, estimate the number, importance, etc. of," perhaps from Scandinavian (compare Middle Danish gitse, getze "to guess," Old Norse geta "guess, get"), or from or influen
    pledge
    mid-14c., plegge, "surety, bail," from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) "hostage, security, bail," also Anglo-Latin plegium, both probably from Frankish *plegan "to guarantee," from *pleg-, a West Germanic root meaning "have responsibility for" (source also of Old Saxon pl
    guarantee
    1670s, "person that gives security," altered (perhaps via Spanish garante or confusion with legalese ending -ee), from earlier garrant "warrant that the title to a property is true" (early 15c.), from Old French garant "defender, protector; warranty; pledge; justifying evidence,"
    second-guess
    by 1938, originally a baseball verb; see second (adj.) + guess (n.). The expression second guess originated in big league baseball. In baseball, a man making a play has time only for one thought on that particular play. He must make up his mind in a flash how he is going to make

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