*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of anon

From Middle English anoon, anon, anan (literally “in one (moment)”), from on (“in”) + ān (“one”). See on and one.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adv

Straight away; at once. · Soon; in a little while. · At another time; then; again.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English anoon, anon, anan (literally “in one (moment)”), from on (“in”) + ān (“one”). See on and one.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionanoonenm
  • Word-formation componentonang
  • Word-formation componentānang
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "from roots meaning _in one moment_"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "anoon"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English anoon"
    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "on",
        "3": "ān",
        "gloss1": "in",
        "gloss2": "one",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "on (“in”) + ān (“one”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "anoon",
      "anoon#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "anon",
      "anon#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "anan",
      "anan#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "on",
      "on#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ān",
      "an#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "on",
      "on"
    ],
    [
      "one",
      "one"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Straight away; at once.",
        "Soon; in a little while.",
        "At another time; then; again."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

An anonymous person, traditionally especially a published author but now especially an internet rando. · An anonymous poster (“person who contributes a note, message, etc”). A participant in an online site, such as a forum or an imageboard, without an account, or who posts without identifying themselves, or hidden behind a pseudonym. · A work with an unknown author. · A work without a title.

adj

Clipping of anonymous.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of anonymous.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "from clipping of _anonymous_"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "clipping of",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "anonymous"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of anonymous"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "anonymous",
      "anonymous#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An anonymous person, traditionally especially a published author but now especially an internet rando.",
        "An anonymous poster (“person who contributes a note, message, etc”). A participant in an online site, such as a forum or an imageboard, without an account, or who posts without identifying themselves, or hidden behind a pseudonym.",
        "A work with an unknown author.",
        "A work without a title."
      ],
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        "Internet"
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of anonymous."
      ],
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        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for anon →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YW5vbg