'promote' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'promovere', where 'pro-' meant 'forward' and 'movere' meant 'to move'.

'promote' changed from Old French 'promouvoir' and Middle English 'promoten', eventually becoming the modern English word 'promote'.

Initially, it meant 'to move forward' or 'to advance', but over time it evolved to include 'to encourage growth', 'to raise in rank', and 'to publicize'.