anon

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English anon, also anan and onan,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English on ān (“into one”), also on āne and on ānum (“in one”),^[5][6][7][8] formed from on (“in, on”) and the accusative, dative or instrumental of ān (“one”).^[5][6][4] The OED describes it as a merging of these two prepositional constructions.^[5] It is related to on and one.^[3][9][10] Johnson (1755) reported Junius's view that it was short for "in one minute".^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Old English the phrase meant "in or into one" body or company, together, and also "straight on, continuously" and "at once, immediately".^[5][7] Barnhart dates it to about 800, in the sense "at once".^[3]

Semantic evolution

The Oxford Dictionary of English explains the temporal sense "at once" as developing from the original "in or into one state or course".^[7] The sense "all the way to", anon to, is recorded from the Peterborough Chronicle (late Old English) to 1582.^[5][3] Middle English used anon constantly for "at once, immediately": Chaucer has it 485 times and Gower 260.^[12] From "at once" it weakened to "soon, in a little while", which Etymonline calls a gradual misuse and dates to the 1520s;^[13] the OED dates this sense to about 1475,^[5] and Barnhart even finds it before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle.^[3] Weekley compares the similar weakening of presently.^[8] As a reply to a call, anon meant "at once, coming!";^[13] Weekley derives the dialect interjection anan, "what did you say?", from this stock reply of a summoned servant.^[8][14] In Devon anon could mean "tonight".^[14] The phrase ever and anon, every now and then, is recorded from 1558.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 800 – Old English on ān, at once.^[3]
• Old English – in or into one, together; straight on; at once, immediately.^[5]
• before 1121 – onward, all the way (to).^[3][5]
• c. 1475 – in a little while, soon.^[5] Etymonline dates this sense to the 1520s, Barnhart to before 1200.^[13][3]
• 1516 – at the present moment, now.^[5]
• 1558 – ever and anon, now and then.^[5]
• 1596 – interjection, what did you say?^[4]
• mid 18th century – anon, short for anonymous.^[15]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (archaic or literary) In a short time; soon: I will speak of this anon.^[16][4][15]
2. ever and anon: every now and then; from time to time.^[16][5]
3. (archaic) At once; immediately.^[4][5][15]

Interjection

1. (dialect) Used to ask a speaker to repeat something not heard or understood.^[4][14]

Adjective

1. Short for anonymous; also, as Anon, a name for an author or composer whose name is unknown: a ballad by Anon.^[15][16]

Related words

• anonym
• anonymity
• anonymous
• one
• on

Usage notes

Anon or Anon. for an unknown author, recorded from the mid-18th century, is an abbreviation of anonymous and has a separate source from the adverb.^[15][16][17] The dialect interjection, also written anan or nan, was widely used in the dialects of Scotland, Ireland, England and America.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ Benson, Larry D., Glossarial Concordance to Middle English (Chaucer, Gower), Johns Hopkins University, github.com/jhu-digital-manuscripts/gcme
13. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
14. ^ a b c d Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
15. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
16. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
17. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul