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Examples of till in a Sentence
We won't finish till next week.
The event doesn't start till tomorrow.
Origin and Etymology of till
Middle English, from Old English til; akin to Old Norse til to, till, Old English til good
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: before 12th century
in the meaning defined at sense 2
See Words from the same yearDefinition of till
: until
Examples of till in a Sentence
They kept playing till it got dark.
He spun around till he was dizzy.
till, 'til, or 'till?
People often ask which is the correct synonym of until: till, ’til, or ’till?
Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. Actually, it is a distinctive word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and a conjunction meaning “until.” It has seen continuous use in English since the 12th century and is a perfectly legitimate synonym of until.
’Til and ’till are much newer words, having appeared in the language only in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Both are variant spellings, either of until or of till. Writers of usage guides have roundly condemned ’till as a barbarism (apparently because it seems to have added a superfluous l to the end of until). ’Til, for its part, has been deemed inappropriate in formal writing.
To sum up: until and till can be used freely and interchangeably, but you will probably want to avoid ’till and use ’til advisedly.
First Known Use of till
12th century
Definition of till
: to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops : cultivate
Examples of till in a Sentence
The farmers are tilling the soil.
farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset
Origin and Etymology of till
Middle English tilien, tillen, from Old English tilian; akin to Old English til good, suitable, Old High German zil goal
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 12th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearDefinition of till
1 a
: a money drawer in a store or bank;
also
: cash register
b
: a box, drawer, or tray in a receptacle (such as a cabinet or chest) used especially for valuables
2 a
: the money contained in a till
b
: a supply of especially ready money
Origin and Etymology of till
Middle English tille locker, chest
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined at sense 1b
See Words from the same yearOther Business Terms
Definition of till
: unstratified glacial drift consisting of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders intermingled
Origin and Etymology of till
origin unknown
TILL Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of till for English Language Learners
-
: to prepare (soil, a piece of land, etc.) for growing crops
TILL Defined for Kids
Definition of till for Students
: until
- Wait till later.
Definition of till for Students
tilled;
tilling
: to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
- Farm workers till the fields.
Learn More about till
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See words that rhyme with till Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for till Spanish Central: Translation of till Nglish: Translation of till for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of till for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about till
Seen and Heard
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