Etymology 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”).
1
Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
She stayed till the very end.
I have to work till eight o'clock tonight.
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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:
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:
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:
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:
2
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:
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:
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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 side1806, “Lord Wa'Yates and Auld Ingram”, in Robert Jameson, editor, Popular Ballads and Songs, volume 2:
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:
"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:
"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:
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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:
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.
Etymology 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”).
1
Until, until the time that.
Maybe you can, maybe you can't: you won't know till you try.
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:
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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.
till
noun
Etymology 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”).
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:
2
A removable box within a cash register containing the money.
Pull all the tills and lock them in the safe.
When you've finished serving that customer could you jump off please? We need to take the till.
1 more example
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:
3
The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift.
Etymology From Middle English tilyen, from Old English tilian.
1
To develop so as to improve or prepare for usage; to cultivate (said of knowledge, virtue, mind etc.).
2
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: