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”).
Meanings
Short in length of time from the present.
I need the soonest date you have available.
(US, dialectal) Early.
Got up pretty early, ate a soon breakfast, had the sulky and was about to start to Newtown when it commenced raining.. 1997, Dorothy Stanaland Samuel, Taliaferro Leslie Samuel, The Samuell/Samuel Families of Tidewater Virginia, page 148:
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. 1992, W. H. Andrews, A Paul Green Reader, page 129:
They were different from colored folks who had to be out to get a soon start. 2000, Laurence G. Avery, A Paul Green Reader, page 220:
Used as an alternative to express 'to be going to' in the form 'to be soon to'.
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”).
Meanings
(obsolete) Immediately, instantly.
Within a short time; quickly.
Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese[…]began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated. The poisoning was irreversible, and soon ended in psychosis and death. 2014 April 21, “Subtle effects”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8884:
His wife is likely to come too after him, but we just do not know how soon after.
I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly,[…], down the nave to the western door.[…]At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
(dialectal) Early.
How is it that ye are come so soon to day? 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 2:18:
“Been huntin’ fuh mah mule. Anybody seen ’im?” he asked.
“Seen ’im soon dis mornin’ over behind de school-house,” Lum said. “’’Bout ten o’clock or so. He musta been out all night tuh be way over dere dat early.” 1937, Zora Neale Hurston, chapter 6, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, University of Illinois Press, published 1978, page 87:
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. 1713, Joseph Addison, The Guardian, number 101:
ur جَلْدی (within a short time) · he תֵּכֶף (within a short time) · gl pronto (within a short time) · pl niedługo (within a short time) · be ху́тка (within a short time) · tr hemen (within a short time) · be ско́ра (within a short time) · ja すぐに (within a short time) · pdt boolt (within a short time) · ba оҙаҡламай (within a short time) · ar سَرْعَانَ مَا (within a short time) · mi wawe (within a short time) · eu laister (within a short time) · hi जल्दी (within a short time) · fr bientôt (within a short time) · alt ылтам (within a short time) · hy շուտ (within a short time) · nl gauw (within a short time) · et peagi (within a short time) · bo མྱུར་དུ (within a short time) · es dentro de poco (within a short time) · nl zo (within a short time) · sv snart (within a short time) · ar سِرْعَانَ مَا (within a short time) · ga roimh i bhfad (within a short time) · ko 금방 (within a short time) · ang hraþe (within a short time) · sa शीघ्रं (within a short time) · da snart (within a short time) · nl straks (within a short time) · ast ceo (within a short time) · mt dalwaqt (within a short time) · roa-opt logo (within a short time) · uz tez (within a short time) · fi pian (within a short time) · lb geschwënn (within a short time) · la mox (within a short time) · sk skoro (within a short time) · ta சீக்கிரமாக (within a short time) · arn matumatu (within a short time) · xag 𐕒𐕡𐕚𐔼 (within a short time) · mn удахгүй (within a short time) · ru вско́ре (within a short time) · lo ໃນບໍ່ຊ້ານີ້ (within a short time) · lt greitai (within a short time) · bn শীঘ্রই (within a short time) · el σύντομα (within a short time) · haw auaneʻi (within a short time) · uk ско́ро (within a short time) · kmr zû (within a short time) · tg ба зудӣ (within a short time) · wa bénrade (within a short time) · ar سُرْعَانَ مَا (within a short time) · fo skjótt (within a short time) · tr memnuniyetle (within a short time) · ast aína (within a short time) · hu mindjárt (within a short time) · oc aviat (within a short time) · tr biraz sonra (within a short time) · ky жакында (within a short time) · nl binnenkort (within a short time) · sh у̏скоро (within a short time) · eo baldaŭ (within a short time) · arz قريّب (within a short time) · ga go luath (within a short time) · he בְּקָרוֹב (within a short time) · mi ākuara (within a short time) · la citō (within a short time) · ht talè (within a short time) · ta சீக்கிரம் (within a short time) · es pronto (within a short time) · hu rövidesen (within a short time) · my မကြာမတင် (within a short time) · es próximamente (within a short time) · ky тез (within a short time) · mi takitaro (within a short time) · it presto (within a short time) · th เร็วๆนี้ (within a short time) · kk тез (within a short time) · ajp عن قريّب (within a short time) · af binnekort (within a short time) · ka მალე (within a short time) · nl dra (within a short time) · lv drīz (within a short time) · tr şimdi (within a short time) · yi באַלד (within a short time) · br bremaik (within a short time) · cs brzy (within a short time) · et varsti (within a short time) · tr erken (within a short time) · ast llueu (within a short time) · bo མགྱོགས་པོར (within a short time) · mi ākuanei (within a short time) · ro curând (within a short time) · th ในไม่ช้า (within a short time) · mk наскоро (within a short time) · cs zanedlouho (within a short time) · nl weldra (within a short time) · ja 近々 (within a short time) · ru ско́ро (within a short time) · gd a dh'aithghearr (within a short time) · de bald (within a short time) · fa-ira تیز (within a short time) · sl kmálu (within a short time) · mi taro (within a short time) · pt em breve (within a short time) · sh ȕbr̄zo (within a short time) · gd tràthail (within a short time) · fy tel (within a short time) · hy շուտով (within a short time) · id segera (within a short time) · th ในเร็ววัน (within a short time) · hu hamar (within a short time) · vo suno (within a short time) · ca prompte (within a short time) · rom sig (within a short time) · tl malapit na (within a short time) · grc εὐθύς (within a short time) · wym baołd (within a short time) · nrf biètaot (within a short time) · cmn 不久 (within a short time) · is brátt (within a short time) · grc τάχα (within a short time) · tr birazdan (within a short time) · cy cyn bo hir (within a short time) · fi kohta (within a short time) · mi meāke (within a short time) · is fljótlega (within a short time) · io balde (within a short time) · it a breve (within a short time) · cmn 快 (within a short time) · pl wkrótce (within a short time) · vi sớm (within a short time) · gun are'ỹ'i re (within a short time) · sk zanedlho (within a short time) · hu nemsokára (within a short time) · fa-ira بِزودی (within a short time) · ja もうすぐ (within a short time) · is bráðum (within a short time) · vi chẳng bao lâu nữa (within a short time) · kk жылдам (within a short time) · he עוֹד מְעַט (within a short time) · ga sula fada (within a short time) · uz yaqinda (within a short time) · tr derhal (within a short time) · ca aviat (within a short time) · gl logo (within a short time) · fa-ira زود (within a short time) · sh ȕskoro (within a short time) · sh у̏бр̄зо (within a short time) · kmr aniha (within a short time) · hu hamarosan (within a short time) · pt logo (within a short time) · nl spoedig (within a short time) · ar قَرِيبًا (within a short time) · es aína (within a short time) · el νωρίς (within a short time) · ga go haibéil (within a short time) · th ไม่นาน (within a short time) · ckb لەم نزیکە (within a short time) · ga gan mhoill (within a short time) · tr seve seve (within a short time) · az tezliklə (within a short time) · az bu yaxınlarda (within a short time) · dsb skóro (within a short time) · tg тез (within a short time) · zdj tsi hale (within a short time) · kaa jıldam (within a short time) · sco sune (within a short time) · tg зуд (within a short time) · hsb skoro (within a short time) · cy yn fuan (within a short time) · es aínas (within a short time) · bg ско́ро (within a short time) · nb snart (within a short time) · hu egyhamar (within a short time) · zdj kariɓu (within a short time) · tr yakında (within a short time) · ko 곧 (within a short time) · se farga (within a short time) · ba тиҙҙән (within a short time) · uk незаба́ром (within a short time) · sk čoskoro (within a short time) · ta விரைவில் (within a short time) · fo brátt (within a short time) · eu laster (within a short time) · sq shpejt (within a short time) · sa द्राक् (within a short time)