English
promession
Promession comes from Italian promessa ‘promise’, from Latin promittō ‘to send forth’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méyth₂eti1uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*meitō1‘to put forth, put out’uncertain
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmītō1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmittō1‘to send’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpromittō2‘to send forth’next step skipped: Latin prōmissus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōmissum2‘promise’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpromissa2‘promise’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpromessa3‘promise’
- Englishearliest quotation 2019promession3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin promitto
- 2 Wiktionary, Italian promessa
- 3 Wiktionary, English promession
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2019, Lucinda Herring, Reimagining Death: “Promession ensures that a body will produce rich, nourishing…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méyth₂etiWiktionary, Latin promittouncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*meitōWiktionary, Latin promitto‘to put forth, put out’uncertain
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmītōWiktionary, Latin promittouncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmittōWiktionary, Latin promitto‘to send’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpromittōWiktionary, Italian promessa‘to send forth’next step skipped: Latin prōmissus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōmissumWiktionary, Italian promessa‘promise’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpromissaWiktionary, Italian promessa‘promise’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpromessaWiktionary, English promession‘promise’
- Englishearliest quotation 2019promessionWiktionary, English promession. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2019, Lucinda Herring, Reimagining Death: “Promession ensures that a body will produce rich, nourishing…”
The story
Coined by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, developer of the process, who derived it from Italian promessa (‘promise’).
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *meitō ‘to put forth, put out’
remission, unremitting, 18 more
through Old Latin mītō
permission, transmission, admission, submission, emission, remit, omission, commissariat, 20 more
through Latin mittō ‘to send’
committee, admit, commission, mission, commit, mess, missile, dismiss, transmit, premise, intermittent, emit, amit, omit, commissary, permissive, remiss, commissar, missive, 32 more
through Vulgar Latin promissa ‘promise’
Today it means
noun The disposal of human remains by freeze-drying.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “promession”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin promitto, Italian promessa. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti / promession