The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Promise \Prom"ise\, a. [F. promesse, L. promissum, fr.
   promittere, promissum, to put forth, foretell, promise; pro
   forward, for + mittere to send. See Mission. ]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. In general, a declaration, written or verbal, made by one
      person to another, which binds the person who makes it to
      do, or to forbear to do, a specified act; a declaration
      which gives to the person to whom it is made a right to
      expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a
      specified act.
      [1913 Webster]

            For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more
            of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
                                                  --Gal. iii.
                                                  18.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Law) An engagement by one person to another, either in
      words or in writing, but properly not under seal, for the
      performance or nonperformance of some particular thing.
      The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of
      a person, without regard to the consideration for it, or
      the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made.
      --Chitty. Parsons. Burrill.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. That which causes hope, expectation, or assurance;
      especially, that which affords expectation of future
      distinction; as, a youth of great promise. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            My native country was full of youthful promise. --W.
                                                  Irving.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Bestowal, fulfillment, or grant of what is promised.
      [1913 Webster]

            He . . . commanded them that they should not depart
            from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
            Father.                               --Acts i. 4.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Promise \Prom"ise\, v. i.
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To give assurance by a promise, or binding declaration.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect
      good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil.
      [1913 Webster]

            Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
            I fear it, I promise you.             --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Promise \Prom"ise\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Promised; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Promising.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To engage to do, give, make, or to refrain from doing,
      giving, or making, or the like; to covenant; to engage;
      as, to promise a visit; to promise a cessation of
      hostilities; to promise the payment of money. "To promise
      aid." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To afford reason to expect; to cause hope or assurance of;
      as, the clouds promise rain. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To make declaration of or give assurance of, as some
      benefit to be conferred; to pledge or engage to bestow;
      as, the proprietors promised large tracts of land; the
      city promised a reward.
      [1913 Webster]

   Promised land. See Land of promise, under Land.

   To promise one's self.
      (a) To resolve; to determine; to vow.
      (b) To be assured; to have strong confidence.
          [1913 Webster]

                I dare promise myself you will attest the truth
                of all I have advanced.           --Rambler.
          [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

promise
    n 1: a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do
         (or not to do) something in the future
    2: grounds for feeling hopeful about the future; "there is
       little or no promise that he will recover" [syn: promise,
       hope]
    v 1: make a promise or commitment [syn: promise, assure]
    2: promise to undertake or give; "I promise you my best effort"
    3: make a prediction about; tell in advance; "Call the outcome
       of an election" [syn: predict, foretell, prognosticate,
       call, forebode, anticipate, promise]
    4: give grounds for expectations; "The new results were
       promising"; "The results promised fame and glory"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

199 Moby Thesaurus words for "promise":
   accede, accord, actuarial prediction, adumbration, afford hope,
   agree, agree to, agreement, apocalypse, arrangement, aspiration,
   assent, assumption, assurance, assure, assured faith, augur,
   augur well, augury, auspice, avouch, bargain, bargain for,
   be promising, bespeak, betoken, betokening, betokenment, bid fair,
   bid fair to, binding agreement, bond, capability, cartel, cheer,
   cheerful expectation, collective agreement, commitment, compact,
   confidence, consent, consortium, contract, convention, conviction,
   countersign, covenant, covenant of salt, deal, dependence, desire,
   dicker, do a deal, doomed hope, earnest, employment contract,
   engage, engagement, ensure, expectation, fair prospect, faith,
   fervent hope, foreboding, forecast, forecasting, foreshadow,
   foreshadowing, foreshowing, foresight, foretell, foretelling,
   foretoken, foretokening, formal agreement, give hope,
   give indication of, give prospect of, good cheer, good hope,
   great expectations, guarantee, guaranty, guesswork,
   have favorable odds, have good prospects, high hopes, hint,
   hint at, hold out hope, hold out promise, hope, hopeful prognosis,
   hopefulness, hopes, hoping, hoping against hope, imply,
   improbability, increase the chances, indicant, indicate,
   indication, inspire, inspire hope, inspirit, insure,
   ironclad agreement, justify hope, legal agreement, legal contract,
   likelihood, look like, make a deal, make a promise,
   make fair promise, make likely, make more likely, make probable,
   mutual agreement, oath, offer the expectation, omen, pact, paction,
   pass, pawn, pledge, plight, portent, potential, prayerful hope,
   prediction, prefiguration, prefigurement, prefiguring,
   preindication, premonitory shiver, premonitory sign,
   premonitory symptom, presage, presaging, presentiment, preshowing,
   presignifying, presumption, probability, probabilize, prognosis,
   prognostic, prognostication, prophecy, prophesying, prospect,
   prospects, prospectus, protocol, raise expectation,
   raise expectations, raise hope, reassure, reliance,
   sanguine expectation, security, seem likely, shadow,
   show a tendency, show signs of, sign, soothsay, speculation,
   stand fair to, statistical prediction, stipulate, stipulation,
   suggest, support, swear, token, tokening, transaction, troth,
   trust, type, understanding, undertake, undertaking, underwrite,
   union contract, valid contract, vaticination, vouch, vow,
   wage contract, warrant, warranty, well-grounded hope, word,
   word of honor



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

PROMISE, contr. An engagement by which the promisor contracts towards
another to perform or do something to the advantage of the latter.
     2. When a promise is reduced to the form of a written agreement under
seal, it is called a covenant.
     3. In order to be binding on the promisor, the promise must be made
upon a sufficient consideration -- when made without consideration, however,
it may be binding in foro conscientice, it is not obligatory in law, being
nudum pactum. Rutherf. Inst. 85; 18 Eng. C. L. Rep. 180, note a; Merl. Rep.
h.t.
     4. When a promise is made, all that is said at the time, in relation to
it, must be considered; if, therefore, a man promise to pay all he owes,
accompanied by a denial that he owes anything, no action will lie to enforce
such a promise. 15 Wend. 187.
     5. And when the promise is conditional, the condition must be performed
before it becomes of binding force. 7 John. 36. Vide Condition. Promises are
express or implied. Vide Undertaking, and 5 East, 17 2 Leon. 224, 5; 4 B. &
A. 595.