different between liability vs promise

English

Etymology

From liable +? -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la???b?l?ti/
• Hyphenation: li?abil?ity

Noun

liability (countable and uncountable, plural liabilities)

1. An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
   • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw

     "I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility," continued the other. "They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son's services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation."

2. A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; an individual or action that exposes others to greater risk.
   • 2016 January 31, "Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem?," Vanity Fair (retrieved 21 January 2016):

     Asked if at some point Huma becomes a liability to Hillary, the long-term Clinton insider replies, “It’s like anything else. I don’t think so, but you know I don’t have any idea. Hillary is very loyal, but she’s obviously pragmatic.”

3. The likelihood of something happening.
4. The condition of being susceptible to something.

Antonyms

• asset

Derived terms

• enterprise liability
• limited liability
• limited liability company
• secondary liability
• strict liability
• vicarious liability

Translations

Anagrams

• alibility

English

Alternative forms

• promyse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin pr?missa, Latin pr?missum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter of promissus, past participle of pr?mitt? (“I send or put forth, let go forward, say beforehand, promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mittere (“to send”); see mission. Compare admit, commit, permit, etc. Displaced native Old English ?eh?tan (“to promise”) and ?eh?t (“a promise”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??m?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??m?s/
• Hyphenation: prom?ise

Noun

promise (countable and uncountable, plural promises)

1. (countable) an oath or affirmation; a vow

2. (countable) A transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.
   • 1668 July 3rd, James Dalrymple, “Thomas Rue contra Andrew Hou?toun” in The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), pages 547–548

     He pur?ued Andrew Hou?toun upon his promi?e, to give him the like Sallary for the next year, and in ab?ence obtained him to be holden as confe?t and Decerned.

3. (uncountable) Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.

   • My native country was full of youthful promise.

4. (countable, computing, programming) A placeholder object representing the eventual result of an asynchronous operation.

   Synonyms: delay, deferred, (imprecise) future

5. (countable, obsolete) bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised

   • He […] commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.

Translations

Verb

promise (third-person singular simple present promises, present participle promising, simple past and past participle promised)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To commit to (some action or outcome), or to assure (a person) of such commitment; to make an oath or vow.

2. (intransitive) To give grounds for expectation, especially of something good.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• halsen

Related terms

Translations

See also

• election promise

Further reading

• promise in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• promise in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• Promise on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• imposer, porimes, semipro

French

Verb

promise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of promettre

Anagrams

• imposer

Italian

Verb

promise

1. third-person singular past historic of promettere

Anagrams

• espormi, esprimo, impreso

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pro?mise]

Adjective

promise

1. feminine plural of promis
2. neuter plural of promis

Verb

promise

1. third-person singular simple perfect indicative of promite