Soon
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soon¹
- /suːn/ UK
- /sun/ US
Rhymes with -uːn
Where it comes from
From Middle English sone, from Old English sōna (“immediately, at once”), from Proto-West Germanic *sān(ō), from Proto-Germanic *sēna, *sēnô (“immediately, soon, then”), from *sa (demonstrative pronoun), from Proto-Indo-European *só (demonstrative pronoun).
Cognate with Scots sone, sune, schone (“soon, quickly, at once”), North Frisian san (“immediately, at once”), dialectal Dutch zaan (“soon, before long”), Middle Low German sân (“right afterwards, soon”), Middle High German sān, son (“soon, then”), Old High German sār (“immediately, soon”). Compare also Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 (suns, “immediately, soon”), from Proto-Germanic *suniz (“soon”).
adjective sooner · soonest
- Short in length of time from the present. I need the soonest date you have available.
- Early. Late in the evening we arrived at Quincy where we bivouacked for the night and taken a soon start the next morning to march to the arsenal.
- Used as an alternative to express 'to be going to' in the form 'to be soon to'. Hurry up, the wedding is soon to start!
adverb sooner · soonest
- Immediately, instantly.
- Within a short time; quickly. His wife is likely to come too after him, but we just do not know how soon after.
- Early. How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
- Readily; willingly; used with would, or some other word expressing will. I would as soon see a river winding through woods or in meadows, as when it is tossed up in so many whimsical figures at Versailles.
Similar: anon, betimes, by and by, directly, dreckley, early, eftsoons, hastily, imminently, just now, momentarily, presently
Soon²
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Chinese 孫／孙 (Mandarin: Sūn, Cantonese: syun¹, Hokkien: Sun), also spelled as Sun.
proper noun Soons
- A surname.
