soon: [OE] In Old English times, soon meant ‘straightaway’, but human nature being what it is, the tendency to procrastinate led over the centuries to a change in meaning to ‘after a short while’. (The same thing happened to anon, and is in the process of happening to directly.) The word itself comes from a prehistoric West Germanic *s?nō, whose other descendants apart from soon have all but died out.
soon (adv.)
Old English sona "at once, immediately, directly, forthwith," from Proto-Germanic *s?no (cognates: Old Frisian son, Old Saxon sana, Old High German san, Gothic suns "soon"). Sense softened early Middle English to "within a short time" (compare anon). American English. Sooner for "Oklahoma native" is 1930 (earlier "one who acts prematurely," 1889), from the 1889 opening to whites of what was then part of Indian Territory, when many would-be settlers sneaked onto public land and staked their claims "sooner" than the legal date and time.
雙語例句
1. The agreement has raised hopes that the war may end soon.
那項協議使人們感到戰爭有望很快結束。
來自柯林斯例句
2. As soon as he got inside, the dog shook himself.
他一進來，狗就開始搖頭擺尾。
來自柯林斯例句
3. He will soon be back in training for next year's National.
他將很快回來為明年的全國聯賽進行特訓。
來自柯林斯例句
4. They stopped you as soon as you deviated from the script.
一旦你偏離了劇本的內容，他們就會喊停。
來自柯林斯例句
5. Their affection for her soon increased almost to idolatry.