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 *sǣnō, whose other descendants apart from soon have all but died out.
soon (adv.)
Old English sona "at once, immediately, directly, forthwith," from Proto-Germanic *sæno (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.
实用例句
1. The agreement has raised hopes that the war may end soon.
那项协议使人们感到战争有望很快结束。
来自柯林斯例句
2. As soon as he got inside, the dog shook himself.
他一进来，狗就开始摇头摆尾。
来自柯林斯例句
3. He will soon be back in training for next year's National.
他将很快回来为明年的全国联赛进行特训。
来自柯林斯例句
4. They stopped you as soon as you deviated from the script.
一旦你偏离了剧本的内容，他们就会喊停。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Their affection for her soon increased almost to idolatry.
