till

1
[ til ]
/ tɪl /

preposition

conjunction

to the time that or when; until.
before (used in negative constructions).

Origin of till

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) til < Old Norse til to, akin to Old English till station, German Ziel goal. See till2

usage note for till

Till1 and until are both old in the language and are interchangeable as both prepositions and conjunctions: It rained till (or until ) nearly midnight. The savannah remained brown and lifeless until (or till ) the rains began. Till is not a shortened form of until and is not spelled 'till. 'Til is usually considered a spelling error, though widely used in advertising: Open 'til ten.

Definition for till (2 of 4)

till 2
[ til ]
/ tɪl /

verb (used with object)

to labor, as by plowing or harrowing, upon (land) for the raising of crops; cultivate.
to plow.

verb (used without object)

to cultivate the soil.

Origin of till

2
before 900; Middle English tilen, Old English tilian to strive after, get, till; cognate with Dutch telen to breed, cultivate, German zielen to aim at

OTHER WORDS FROM till

mis·tilled, adjective un·tilled, adjective un·till·ing, adjective well-tilled, adjective

Definition for till (3 of 4)

till 3
[ til ]
/ tɪl /

noun

a drawer, box, or the like, as in a shop or bank, in which money is kept.
a drawer, tray, or the like, as in a cabinet or chest, for keeping valuables.
an arrangement of drawers or pigeonholes, as on a desk top.

Origin of till

3
1425–75; late Middle English tylle, noun use of tylle to draw, Old English -tyllan (in fortyllan to seduce); akin to Latin dolus trick, Greek dólos bait (for fish), any cunning contrivance, treachery

Definition for till (4 of 4)

till 4
[ til ]
/ tɪl /

noun

Geology. glacial drift consisting of an unassorted mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders.
a stiff clay.

Origin of till

4
First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Example sentences from the Web for till

British Dictionary definitions for till (1 of 4)

till 1
/ (tɪl) /

conjunction, preposition

Also (not standard): 'til short for until
Scot to; towards
dialect in order that come here till I tell you

Word Origin for till

Old English til; related to Old Norse til to, Old High German zil goal, aim

usage for till

Till is a variant of until that is acceptable at all levels of language. Until is, however, often preferred at the beginning of a sentence in formal writing: until his behaviour improves, he cannot become a member

British Dictionary definitions for till (2 of 4)

till 2
/ (tɪl) /

verb (tr)

to cultivate and work (land) for the raising of crops
another word for plough

Derived forms of till

tillable, adjective tiller, noun

Word Origin for till

Old English tilian to try, obtain; related to Old Frisian tilia to obtain, Old Saxon tilōn to obtain, Old High German zilōn to hasten towards

British Dictionary definitions for till (3 of 4)

till 3
/ (tɪl) /

noun

a box, case, or drawer into which the money taken from customers is put, now usually part of a cash register

Word Origin for till

C15 tylle, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for till (4 of 4)

till 4
/ (tɪl) /

noun

an unstratified glacial deposit consisting of rock fragments of various sizes. The most common is boulder clay

Word Origin for till

C17: of unknown origin

Scientific definitions for till

till
[ tĭl ]

An unstratified, unconsolidated mass of boulders, pebbles, sand, and mud deposited by the movement or melting of a glacier. The size and shape of the sediments that constitute till vary widely.

Idioms and Phrases with till

till