"Presently" ?= "Now"

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Article #2289

#2289

From: chai
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1986 16:37

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I read somewhere that "presently" does not mean "now", but rather
"soon" (as in "He'll be along presently".)  However, I still see
everyone else use it as if it means now.  So I looked it up in
several dictionaries, and found THREE definitions for it:
1. now
2. soon
3. at once (archaic)

I guess most people nowadays have only the "now" definition in mind.
I try to avoid it (by using "at present" if I have to.)  What do
you people out there think?
--
              Henry Chai ( guest on suran@utcsri )
        {utzoo,ihnp4,allegra,decwrl}!utcsri!utflis!chai
                       chai%utflis@TORONTO
           "Do *YOU* like grouper fish?" - Urael Punv

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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utcsri.UUCP
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utcsri!utflis!chai
From: chai@utflis.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: "Presently" ?= "Now"
Message-ID: <3489@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Oct-86 12:37:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.3489
Posted: Wed Oct 15 12:37:07 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Oct-86 12:43:37 EDT
Reply-To: utflis!chai@utcsri.UUCP (Henry Chai)
Distribution: net
Organization: Faculty of Library & Info. Sci., Univ. of Toronto
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