From Middle English til, from Northern Old English til, from or akin to Old Norse til (“to, till”); both from Proto-Germanic *til (“to, toward”), from Proto-Germanic *tilą (“planned point in time”). Not a contraction of until; rather, until comes from till with the prefix un- (“against; toward; up to”) also found in unto. Cognate with Old Frisian til (“to, till”), Danish til (“to”), Swedish till (“to, till”), Icelandic til (“to, till”). Also related to Old English til (“good”), German Ziel (“goal”), Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌻 (til, “something fitting or suitable”).
Meanings
Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
If you thought Wytrzyszczka was a mouthful, wait till you try saying Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. 2024 December 4, “This place in NZ has such a long name that most people can't pronounce it”, in Times of India, archived from the original on 04 Dec 2024:
While the PA has not always seen eye-to-eye with US foreign policy, its survival remained, till recently, a top American priority. 2019 March 14, Ramzy Baroud, “Chasing mirages: What are Palestinians doing to combat ‘Deal of the Century’?”, in Ma'an News, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2019:
She stayed till the very end.
The line was authorised on June 23, 1864, but not opened till July 11, 1881. 1946 May and June, G. A. Sekon, “L.B.S.C.R. West Coast Section—3”, in Railway Magazine, page 148:
I have to work till eight o'clock tonight.
Similar sentiments will recur to everyone familiar with his writings all through them till the very end. 1854, Prof. John Wilson, The Genius and Character of Burns, page 194:
Before (a certain time or event).
It's twenty till two. (1:40)
Is that the town-clock striking? / I think that it is to-night / My fever will reach its crisis, / There are long hours yet till light. 1880, A. T. Fullerton, “Fever”, in Littell's Living Age, volume 147, page 578:
(dialectal, obsolete) To, up to (physically).
And till the kirk she wadna gae, / nor till't she wadna ride, / Till four-and-twenty men she gat her before, / And twenty on ilka side 1806, “Lord Wa'Yates and Auld Ingram”, in Robert Jameson, editor, Popular Ballads and Songs, volume 2:
She, poor bird, as all forlorn / Lean'd her breast up-till a thorn / And there sung the dolefull'st ditty, / To to hear it was great pity. 1599, William Shakespeare (attributed), The Passionate Pilgrim:
For a king to gang an outlaw till / Is beneath his state and his dignitie. 1838, “The Outlaw Murray”, in Walter Scott, editor, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border:
They led him till his tent
(dialectal, obsolete) To, toward (in attitude).
"Here's at you old hoss!" hiccupped I, with a friendly pitch in the way of a nod at Rice.
"Go it, young grampus, that's me! Here's till ye, my infant progidy!" replied he, as he clinked his glass against mine. 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 20:
And then she changed her voice and would be as saft as honey: 'My puir wee Ailie, was I thrawn till ye? Never mind, my bonnie. You and me are a' that's left, and we maunna be ill to ither.' 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
"Well, Georgey," said he, "and soa you're leaving t'ould hoose at last?" - "Heigh, Johnny, my lad, I'm forced tull it; for that damned Boggart torments us soa, we can neither rest neet nor day for't." 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 307:
(dialectal) So that (something may happen).
1953?, Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
VLADIMIR: Together again at last! We'll have to celebrate this. But how? (He reflects.) Get up till I embrace you.
sh dȍ (until) · gl endeica (until) · it fintantochè (until) · gl deica (until) · arz لغايت (until) · tg то (until) · ta வரைக்கும் (until) · fr jusqu'à (until) · ar إِلَى أَنّ (until) · bg до (until) · sk do (until) · de bis (until) · uk до (until) · gd gu (until) · ms hingga (until) · sv tills (until) · cy tan (until) · it finchè (until) · es hasta (until) · ba тиклем (until) · ko ...까지 (until) · ar حَتَّى (until) · cs do (until) · fi ennen (until) · pl do (until) · no til (until) · hy մինչեւ (until) · as -অলৈকে (until) · sq deri (until) · gl ata (until) · mk до (until) · it finattantochè (until) · eu arte (until) · ga go dtí (until) · ba ҡәҙәр (until) · da indtil (until) · fa تا (until) · dsb do (until) · eo ĝis (until) · es hasta que (until) · nl tot (until) · cmn 為止 /为止 (until) · gl até (until) · it fino a che (until) · no inntil (until) · cmn 直到 (until) · sq tei (gheg) (until) · ja ...まで (until) · hi ... तक (until) · et -ni (until) · it fino a (until) · ar رَيْثَمَا (until) · fi saakka (until) · sl do (until) · ru до (until) · ta வரை (until) · hi पर्यंत (until) · ba хәтлем (until) · ru до тех пор пока́ (until) · hsb do (until) · af tot (until) · ur ... تک (until) · hu -ig (until) · te దాకా (until) · sh до̏ (until) · pt até (until) · te వరకు (until) · et kuni (until) · it fintanto (until) · he עַד (until) · fi asti (until) · be да (until) · fi vaille (until) · ro până (until)
From Middle English til, from Northern Old English til, from or akin to Old Norse til (“to, till”); both from Proto-Germanic *til (“to, toward”), from Proto-Germanic *tilą (“planned point in time”). Not a contraction of until; rather, until comes from till with the prefix un- (“against; toward; up to”) also found in unto. Cognate with Old Frisian til (“to, till”), Danish til (“to”), Swedish till (“to, till”), Icelandic til (“to, till”). Also related to Old English til (“good”), German Ziel (“goal”), Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌻 (til, “something fitting or suitable”).
Meanings
Until, until the time that.
She twirled round and round, / Till she sunk underground, […] 1846, Edward Lear, The Book of Nonsense:
And the Mouse sat and laughed till he cried. 1912, anonymous, Punky Dunk and the Mouse, P.F. Volland & Co.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Ierusalem, by the Roes, and by the hindes of the field, that ye stirre not vp, nor awake my loue, till she please. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Solomon 2:7:
Maybe you can, maybe you can't: you won't know till you try.
gl deica (until) · ast hasta (until) · arz لغايت (until) · ast hástasa (until) · fr jusqu'à (until) · ast ta (until) · de bis (until) · ms hingga (until) · el ίσαμε (until) · sv tills (until) · bg докато (until) · ga go dtí go (until) · mk до́дека (until) · ru до тех пор (until) · ar حَتَّى (until) · gl ata (until) · el ωσότου (until) · fa تا (until) · hu amíg (until) · eo ĝis (until) · es hasta que (until) · nl tot (until) · gl até (until) · it fino a che (until) · el έως (until) · pl aż (until) · ja ...まで (until) · et -ni (until) · ru пока́ не (until) · ast fasta (until) · it fino a (until) · el μέχρι (until) · hu ameddig (until) · roa-ole ata (until) · el ώσπου (until) · fi ennen kuin (until) · sv till (until) · af tot (until) · pl dopóki nie (until) · pt até (until) · et kuni (until) · he עד ש־ (until) · fi kunnes (until) · nl totdat (until)
From Middle English tylle (“till”), possibly from Middle English tillen (“to draw”) from Old English *tyllan (“to draw, attract”) (as in betyllan (“to lure, decoy”) and fortyllan (“to draw away”); related to *tollian > Middle English tollen). Cognate with Albanian ndjell (“to lure, attract”).
Alternatively, Middle English tylle is from Anglo-Norman tylle (“compartment”), from Old French tille (“compartment, shelter on a ship”), from Old Norse þilja (“plank”).
Meanings
(UK) A cash register.
I got most of the money to pay for all this by stealing. It was very wrong. Today I'm so finickity that I fired one of my staff for nicking twenty-pence worth of curtain hangers from Barkers because he couldn't be bothered to wait at the till queue. 2005, Michael Winner, Winner Takes All, →ISBN, page 11:
A removable box within a cash register containing the money.
Pull all the tills and lock them in the safe.
That said, and I'll put this down to its newness, the bin lid was a bit snappy, like Arkwright's till (google that if you're a youngster). 2023 July 26, Pip Dunn, “Merseyrail '777s' are OK for commuters”, in RAIL, number 988, page 59:
When you've finished serving that customer could you jump off please? We need to take the till.
The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift.
fr caisse (contents of a cash register) · hu kassza (box within a cash register) · nl kassalade (box within a cash register) · mk бла́гајна (cash register) · hu kassza (contents of a cash register) · tr yazar kasa (cash register) · nrf câsse (cash register) · sh ка̀са (cash register) · et kassasahtel (box within a cash register) · cmn 收银机 (cash register) · pdt Kauss (cash register) · de Kasse (cash register) · pt caixa (cash register) · it comparto contanti (box within a cash register) · ru де́нежный m я́щик (box within a cash register) · gd cobhan (box within a cash register) · fi kassakone (cash register) · ka სალარო (cash register) · hu pénztartó (box within a cash register) · it registratore di cassa (cash register) · cy drâr arian (cash register) · hu pénzkészlet (contents of a cash register) · io kaso (cash register) · af kasregister (cash register) · nl kassa (cash register) · de Kassenlade (box within a cash register) · is kassi (cash register) · de Kassenschublade (box within a cash register) · ru ка́сса (cash register) · de Ladenkasse (cash register) · fi rahalokero (box within a cash register) · et kassa (cash register) · af til (cash register) · it incasso (contents of a cash register) · gl caixa (cash register) · hu kassza (cash register) · bg каса (cash register) · sh kàsa (cash register) · hy դրամարկղ (cash register) · sh блàгāјна (cash register) · es caja (cash register) · is peningakassi (cash register) · gd cobhan (cash register) · fr caisse enregistreuse (cash register) · eo kaso (cash register) · et kassaaparaat (cash register) · sh blàgājna (cash register) · ca caixa (cash register) · fi lokero (box within a cash register) · cmn 錢櫃 /钱柜 (box within a cash register) · hu pénzkazetta (box within a cash register) · cs kasa (box within a cash register) · fr tiroir-caisse (box within a cash register) · cy drôr arian (cash register) · hu pénztárgép (cash register) · de Registrierkasse (cash register) · mk ка́са (cash register) · is sjóðvél (cash register)
From Middle English tilyen, from Old English tilian.
Meanings
(transitive) To develop so as to improve or prepare for usage; to cultivate (said of knowledge, virtue, mind etc.).
(transitive) To work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops.
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 3:23:
(intransitive) To cultivate soil.
(obsolete) To prepare; to get.
Nor knowes a trappe nor snare to till 1614, William Browne, The Shepherd's Pipe:
et kündma (to work or cultivate) · nl bebouwen (to work or cultivate) · nl bewerken (to work or cultivate) · lt arti (to work or cultivate) · hy հերկել (to work or cultivate) · de pflügen (to work or cultivate) · es roturar (to work or cultivate) · de bauen (to work or cultivate) · mk обра́боти (to work or cultivate) · hy վարել (to work or cultivate) · it arare (to work or cultivate) · gl arar (to work or cultivate) · af ploeg (to work or cultivate) · la colō (to work or cultivate) · eo kultivi (to work or cultivate) · hu felszánt (to work or cultivate) · mi tāmata (to work or cultivate) · cmn 耕 (to work or cultivate) · sv plöja (to work or cultivate) · hu művel (to work or cultivate) · ko 갈다 (to work or cultivate) · it dissodare (to work or cultivate) · de bebauen (to work or cultivate) · fr labourer (to work or cultivate) · lv art (to work or cultivate) · hu megművel (to work or cultivate) · ja 耕す (to work or cultivate) · da pløje (to work or cultivate) · sq mih (to work or cultivate) · ru паха́ть (to work or cultivate) · es arar (to work or cultivate) · mk о́ра (to work or cultivate) · la arō (to work or cultivate) · ar حَرَثَ (to work or cultivate) · mk обрабо́тува (to work or cultivate) · nl ploegen (to work or cultivate) · pl uprawiać (to work or cultivate) · mk и́зора (to work or cultivate) · pt arar (to work or cultivate) · cs orat (to work or cultivate) · bg ора (to work or cultivate) · gl labrar (to work or cultivate) · fi kyntää (to work or cultivate) · da opdyrke (to work or cultivate) · et harima (to work or cultivate) · fr travailler (to work or cultivate) · hu szánt (to work or cultivate) · ltg art (to work or cultivate) · cs obdělávat (to work or cultivate)
it stallatico (manure used as fertilizer) · et moreen (glacial drift) · fr amendement (manure used as fertilizer) · fi moreeni (glacial drift) · fi lanta (manure used as fertilizer) · et sõnnik (manure used as fertilizer) · it materiale alluvionale (glacial drift) · fr till (glacial drift) · it letame (manure used as fertilizer) · da moræne (glacial drift) · cmn 冰碛物 (glacial drift) · fr tillite (glacial drift)