“The captain said we’ll land momentarily (for a moment?).”
Usage Entry 536 / 1605 60-second read
Momentarily vs. Shortly
Briefly versus soon.
The comparisoni
“The captain said we’ll land shortly.”
The ruleii
¶
MOMENTARILY = for a moment (trad).
Traditionally MOMENTARILY means "for a moment." Modern US usage lets it mean "soon," but cautious writers still use SHORTLY.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Trad: briefly. Modern: soon."