soon [OE] Over the centuries soon has become less urgent. In Anglo-Saxon times it meant ‘immediately, without delay’. A similar case is presently [LME], which also used to mean ‘immediately’ and now means ‘soon’. The same thing is happening today with expressions like directly, just a moment, and in a minute. The idiomatic phrase sooner you than me is recorded from the 15th century; as soon meaning ‘rather’ dates from the late 16th century.