Anon, as used by Shakspeare, in the sense of presently.—The probable history of this word is as follows: the first syllable contains a root akin to the root yon, signifying distance in place. The second is a shortened form of the Old High German and Middle High German, -nt, a termination expressive, 1, of removal in space; 2, of removal in time; Old High German, ënont, ënnont; Middle High German,
ënentlig, jenunt=beyond. The transition from the idea of place to that of time is shown in the Old High German, nâhunt, and the Middle High German, vërnent=lately; the first from the root nigh, the latter from the root far.—See Deutsche Grammatik, iii. 215.
CHAPTER XXXV.
ON WHEN, THEN, AND THAN.
[§ 441]. The Anglo-Saxon adverbs are whenne and þenne=when, then.
The masculine accusative cases of the relative and demonstrative pronoun are hwæne (hwone) and þæne (þone).
Notwithstanding the difference, the first form is a variety of the second; so that the adverbs when and then are pronominal in origin.
As to the word than, the conjunction of comparison, it is a variety of then; the notions of order, sequence, and comparison being allied.