prō-mitto, mīsi, missum, 3 (sync. forms: promisti for promisisti, Ter. Ad. 940; Cat. 110, 3: promisse for promisisse, id. 110, 5: promissem, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 12; archaic inf. pass. promittier, id. ib. 4, 8, 32), v. a.
I Lit., to let go forward , to send or put forth , to let hang down , let grow , etc. (rare; not in Cic.): ramos vel ferro compescunt vel longius promittunt, suffer to grow longer , Col. 5, 6, 11.—Reflex., to grow : nec ulla arborum avidius se promittit, Plin. 16, 26, 44, § 107.—Of the hair, the beard, to let hang down , let grow : satis constat multos mortales capillum ac barbam promisisse, Liv. 6, 16, 4; 5, 41; cf.: pogoniae, quibus inferiore ex parte promittitur juba, Plin. 2, 25, 22, § 89.—Transf.: (Sonus lusciniae) promittitur revocato spiritu, is drawn out , prolonged , Plin. 10, 29, 43, § 82; Gallia est longe et a nostris litoribus huc usque promissa, Mel. 1, 3; v. infra, P. a.—
II Trop., of speech.
A To say beforehand , to forebode , foretell , predict , prophesy (very rare): praesertim cum, si mihi alterum utrum de eventu rerum promittendum esset, id futurum, quod evenit, exploratius possem promittere, Cic. Fam. 6, 1, 5: ut (di) primis minentur extis, bene promittant secundis, id. Div. 2, 17, 38.—Of signs or omens, to forebode , portend : pari in meliora praesagio in Caesaris castris omnia aves victimaeque promiserant, Flor. 4, 7, 9: promittunt omina poenas, Val. Fl. 6, 730: clarum fore (Servium) visa circa caput flamma promiserat, Flor. 1, 6, 1; 1, 7, 9.—Also, in gen., to denote beforehand : stella ... vindemiae maturitatem promittens, Plin. 18, 31, 74, § 309.—
B To promise , hold out , cause to expect , give hope or promise of , assure (class. and freq.; syn.: polliceor, spondeo, recipio), constr. with acc., an object-clause , or de : domum, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 28: sestertia septem, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 81: carmen, id. Epod. 14, 7, dona, Ov. Tr. 4, 2, 7: auxilium alicui, id. M. 13, 325: opem, id. F. 5, 247: salutem, Luc. 4, 235: ea quae tibi promitto ac recipio, Cic. Fam. 5, 8, 5: si Neptunus quod Theseo promiserat, non fecisset, id. Off. 1, 10, 32: dii faxint, ut faciat ea quae promittit! id. Att. 16, 1, 6.— With inf. (usu. fut. inf. ): promitto, recipio, spondeo, C. Caesarem talem semper fore civem, qualis hodie sit, Cic. Phil. 5, 18, 51; cf.: promitto, in meque recipio fore eum, etc., id. Fam. 13, 10, 3: quem inimicissimum futurum esse promitto et spondeo, id. Mur. 41, 90: surrepturum pallam promisit tibi, Plaut. As. 5, 2, 80; id. Aul. 2, 2, 42; cf. id. Men. 5, 4, 6: promisit Apollo Ambiguam tellure novā Salamina futuram, Hor. C. 1, 7, 28; id. S. 1, 6, 34.—With inf. pres. : si operam dare promittitis, Plaut. Trin. prol. 5; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 79; id. Rud. 2, 6, 56: magorum vanitas ebrietati eas resistere promittit, Plin. 37, 9, 40, § 124; cf.: se remedium afferer tantamque vim morbi levaturum esse promisit, Curt. 3, 6, 2 monstrare, Amm. 22, 7, 5: promittere oratorem, to give promise of becoming , Sen. Contr. 4, 29, 10; cf.: per ea scelera se parricidam, excite fears lest he become , Quint. Decl. 1, 6: me Promisi ultorem, Verg. A. 2, 96.—With de : de alicujus voluntate promittere, Cic. Fam. 7, 5, 1: de me tibi sic promitto atque confirmo, me, etc., id. ib. 3, 10, 1; Hor. S. 1, 4, 103: promittere damni infecti, i. e. to promise indemnification for , become answerable for the possible damage , Cic. Top. 4, 22.—
C With ut and subj.: promiserat ut daret, Vulg. 2 Par. 21, 7.—Of things: terra ipsa promittit (aquas), gives promise of , leads one to expect water , Plin. 31, 3, 27, § 45: debet extremitas (picturae) sic desinere, ut promittat alia post se, to lead one to suppose , to suggest , id. 35, 10, 36, § 68; Sen. Hippol. 569.—
2 In partic.
a To promise to come , to engage one's self to meet any one, to dine, sup, etc., Plaut. Stich. 3, 2, 19 sq.; 4, 2, 16: ad fratrem, Cic. de Or. 2, 7, 27: ad cenam mihi, Phaedr. 4, 23, 15; Petr. 10; so, tibi me promittere noli, to expect me , Ov. M. 11, 662.—
b To promise something to a deity, i. e. to vow : donum Jovi dicatum atque promissum, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 184: nigras pecudes Diti, Tib. 3, 5, 33; Juv. 13, 233; Petr. 88; Flor. 1, 11, 4.—
c To offer as a price (post-Aug.): pro domo sestertium millies promittens, Plin. 17, 1, 1, § 3.
X —Hence, prōmissus , a, um, P a.
A Lit., hanging down , long; of the hair: coma, Varr. ap. Non. 362, 32; Liv. 38, 17, 3; Ov. Tr. 4, 2, 34: Britanni capillo sunt promisso, Caes. B. G. 5, 14; so, capillus, Nep. Dat. 3, 1: barba, Verg. E. 8, 34; Liv. 2, 23, 4: barba omnibus promissa erat, id. 5, 41, 9; Plin. Ep. 2, 7, 7; Just. 4, 4, 1.—Of the dewlap: boves palearibus amplis et paene ad genua promissis, Col. 6, 1, 3.—Of the belly: sues ventre promisso, Col. 7, 9, 1.—
B Subst.: prōmissum , i, n., a promise (very freq. in prose and poetry; cf. promissio, pollicitatio), Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 53, § 139: voto quodam et promisso teneri, id. Att. 12, 18, 1: constantia promissi, id. ib. 4, 17, 1: promissum absolvere, Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 1: facere, Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31; 3, 25, 95: exigere, id. ib. 3, 25, 94: ludere aliquem promisso inani, Ov. F. 3, 685.—In plur.: pacta et promissa servare, Cic. Off. 3, 24, 92: illis promissis standum non est, quae, etc., id. ib. 1, 10, 32: promissis manere, Verg. A. 2, 160: promissa firmare, Ov. M. 10, 430: multa fidem promissa levant, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 10: dic aliquid dignum promissis, id. S. 2, 3, 6: quo promissa (Ennii) cadant, i. e. the expectations which he raises , id. Ep. 2, 1, 52: promissa dare, to make promises , Cat. 63, 239; to fulfil , Ov. M. 2, 51.