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.
Words nearby till
Definition for till (2 of 4)
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, adjectiveDefinition 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, nounWord 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