Till

Pronunciation

• enPR: tÄ­l, IPA: /tɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

From Old English (Northumbrian) til, from Old Norse til.

Online Etymology Dictionary|till

Full definition of till

Preposition

1. (now dialectal) to
• 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVIII:Than the knyghtes parters of the lystis toke up Sir Madore and led hym tylle hys tente.
• 1854, Prof. John Wilson, The Genius and Character of Burns, p. 194 (Google preview):Similar sentiments will recur to everyone familiar with his writings all through them till the very end.
2. Until, up to, as late as (a given time).I have to work till eight o'clock tonight.She stayed till the very end.

Synonyms

• (until) til, 'til, until

Conjunction

1. until, until the time thatMaybe you can, maybe you can't: you won't know till you try.
• 1582, Douay–Rheims Bible, 2:7:... that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please.
• 1846, Edward Lear, The Book of Nonsense:She twirled round and round,
  Till she sunk underground, ...
• 1912, anonymous, Punky Dunk and the Mouse, P.F. Volland & Co.:And the Mouse sat and laughed till he cried.

Synonyms

• (until) 'til, until

From Middle English tillen "to draw" from Old English -tyllan (as in betyllan "to lure, decoy," and fortyllan "draw away;" related to tollian). Or alternatively from Anglo-Norman tylle "compartment" from Old French tille "compartment, shelter on a ship" from Old Norse þilja "plank." Cognate with Albanian ndjell ("I lure, attract").

Noun

1. A cash register
2. A removable box within a cash register containing the moneyPull all the tills and lock them in the safe.
3. The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shiftMy count of my till was 30 dollars short.
4. (obsolete) A tray or drawer in a chest.

Old English tilian

Verb

1. (transitive) to develop so as to improve or prepare for usage; to cultivate (said of knowledge, virtue, mind etc)
2. (transitive) to work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops
• Bible, Genesis iii. 23The Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
3. (intransitive) to cultivate soil
4. (obsolete) To prepare; to get.

Unknown, but possibly via etymology 3 (the verb) because alluvial deposit is used as a fertilizer.

Noun

1. glacial drift consisting of a mixture of clay, sand, pebbles and boulders
2. (dialect) manure or other material used to fertilize land

Shortened from lentil.

Noun

1. A vetch; a tare.

Anagrams

• it'll
• lilt