Where does “anon” come from?
Anonymous derives from Old English ān, from Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος, combining the negating prefix ἀ- with a root from Proto-Indo-European ne and sem-.
anon (English): Straight away; at once; Soon; in a little while;...
Definitions
- Straight away; at once; Soon; in a little while;...
Ancestry of “anon”, step by step
anon traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English anoon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | anoon | — |
| 2 | Old English | on | on, in, at, among; from |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | ana | on |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via Middle English anon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | anon | anon; continually, on and on; all the way |
| 2 | Old English | on ān | — |
via Middle English anan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | anan | — |