- till
- I
[[t]tɪl[/t]]prep.1) up to the time of; until:to fight till death[/ex]2) before (used in negative constructions):They didn't come till today[/ex]3) cvb dial. before; to:My watch says ten till four[/ex]4) scot. Chiefly Scot.to5) fununtil•Etymology: bef. 900; ME; OE (north) til < ON til to, akin to OE till fixed point, OHG zil goal, Gotilopportunity. Cf. till II usage: till and until are both very old in the language and are interchangeable as both prepositions and conjunctions: It rained till (or until) nearly midnight. The savannah remained brown until (or till) the rains began. till is not a shortened form of until and is not spelled 'till. 'til is usu. considered a spelling error, though commonly used in business and advertising: Open 'til ten. IItill[[t]tɪl[/t]] v. t.1) agr. to labor, as by plowing or harrowing, upon (land) for the raising of crops; cultivate2) agr. to cultivate the soil•Etymology: bef. 900; ME tilen, OE tilian to strive after, get, till; c. OFris tilia to cultivate, OS tilian to attain, OHGzilēn, zilōnto hasten; akin to till I IIItill[[t]tɪl[/t]] n.1) a drawer, box, or the like, in which money is kept, as in a shop2) fur a drawer, tray, or the like, as in a cabinet, chest, or desk, for keeping valuables•Etymology: 1425–75; late ME tylle < AF, of uncert. orig. IVtill[[t]tɪl[/t]] n.gel glacial drift consisting of an unsorted mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders•Etymology: 1665–75; orig. uncert.
From formal English to slang. 2014.