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.
例文
1. The agreement has raised hopes that the war may end soon .
その合意は戦争がすぐに終わる見込みがあると感じさせた。
2.As soon as he got inside,the dog shook himself.
彼が入ってくると、犬は首を横に振った。
3.He will soon be back in training for next year 's National.
彼はすぐに戻って来年の全国リーグに向けて特訓する。
4.They stopped you as soon as you deviated from the script.
シナリオの内容から外れると、彼らは叫ぶ。
5.Their affection for her soon increased almost to idolatry.