What is a "promise"? What is the lexical meaning of this word? This noun is extremely rare in speech, so its interpretation remains a mystery. However, it is important to study the Russian language and learn all its secrets, so further in the article the meaning of the word "promise" will be revealed, its etymology, synonyms will be indicated, and examples of sentences will be given.
Etymology of the word
Before you start interpreting the word "promise", you should find out how it appeared in Russian speech at all. Each linguistic unit in a language goes through certain stages of development.
The noun "promise" is a native Russian word. It comes from the verb "to promise". Its original meaning is "offering a higher price". The modern interpretation is somewhat different - "foretell", "promise".
Lexical meaning
In Ushakov's explanatory dictionary, the meaning of the noun "promise" is indicated. This language unit has two lexical meanings:
- Promise.
- An illegal gift thatnow called a bribe.
It's important to note that the noun "promise" is an obsolete word. In modern speech, it is not used in either the first or second meaning.
In the explanatory dictionary of Efremova, it is noted that "promise" as a promise refers to colloquial vocabulary. That is, this word occasionally occurs in modern speech. True, mainly as part of a phraseological unit: "They don't take money for a promise" (you can promise anything).
At the same time, "promise" as a bribe is not used in speech at all. So called a bribe in court. Previously, promises were not an illegal phenomenon, but a completely sanctioned court fee. It wasn't until the fifteenth century that it was made illegal.
Examples of usage
To consolidate the interpretation of the noun "promise", it is recommended to make several sentences:
- Don't you know that swearing is illegal?
- I don't need your promises, I'm fed up with them.
- The judge accepted the promise without hesitation.
- Sweet promises could not lull my vigilance.
- The promises used to be mandatory.
- I don't need empty promises.
Synonyms
As mentioned above, the noun "promise" has gone out of everyday use. It can be replaced with more modern words. However, it is worth considering that the choice of a synonym depends on the context:
- Promise. Why do I need stupid promises?
- Vow. I vow not to lie anymore.
- Gift. I will not accept your gift.
- Bribing. Bribery of judges is unacceptable.
"Promise" is an obsolete word. However, it is found in historical documents and is part of the phraseological unit, which is still found in speech. The lexical meaning of this word can be found in the explanatory dictionary.