I. preposition
also til t ə l ( often d. ə l after a vowel ), tə̇l
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English til; akin to Old Frisian & Old Norse til to, till, Old English til good, suitable — more at till III
1. chiefly Scotland
a. : to a place of arrival : through to : as far as
till an end
b. : to or toward a limit or goal
changed till a dragon
c. : to — used to introduce an indirect object or complement of various adjectives and nouns
gie it till him
aye kind till his ain
d. : at , by , for , of , concerning
2. : throughout the interval extending to : during the whole time from the starting point up to : up or down to a specified time : until — used with an implication of termination or change at the time mentioned
till his return
till after four o'clock
till next week
to live till ninety
3. : at any time before or before the arrival, appearance, or beginning of — used after a negative expression with an implication that the action or condition began or is to begin at the specified time
a refund which I did not get till ten years later
4. — used as a function word indicating position before the clock hour
five minutes till three
II. conjunction
also til “
Etymology: Middle English, from till, til, preposition
1. : throughout the interval extending to the (specified) time thereafter : up to the time when : until
wait till I come
— formerly used with that
till that a capable and wide revenge swallow them up — Shakespeare
till that we see our cheeks ale-dyed — Robert Herrick †1674
2.
a. dialect : before
felt like a frost till morning — Conrad Richter
b. : previous to the time when : at any time before : unless at some future time — used after a negative statement or an injunction
you'll never succeed till you concentrate your efforts
c. chiefly dialect : up to or at the time when : when — used in negative constructions
scarcely reached home till the rain started
3. dialect : in extent of time intervening before
it seemed long till dawn came
4. : continuously up to the point at which : for so long that : so that finally
ran and ran till he could run no more
5. chiefly dialect : while
enjoy the roses till they flourish — Thomas Wright
6. dialect : than
more till one can play
7. dialect : in order that : so that
can't write my name till you can read it — J.H.Stuart
III. ˈtil transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English tilien, tilen, tillen to strive for, obtain, work, cultivate, from Old English tilian; akin to Old English til good, suitable, Old High German zil goal, zilōn to hurry, Old Norse aldr tili death, Gothic ga tils suitable
1. : to turn or stir (as by plowing, harrowing, or hoeing) and prepare for seed : sow, dress, and raise crops from : cultivate
learned to till the soil — Eric Newton
tilled the rocky land — E.W.Smith
helping to till the fields — Will Irwin
2. dialect England : prepare , set
till a snare
3.
a. : to improve by assiduous labor or study : foster the growth or development of : care for
new ground, not adequately tilled in any older book — Hugo Leichtentritt
the president of a university in those days tilled a very broad field — A.D.White
whole broad field of liberty was being tilled — W.H.Allison
b. : to make researches into : work upon
till a field of knowledge
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English tullen, tillen, from Old English -tyllan (as in fortyllan to seduce, betyllan to allure); akin to Old English talu talk, narrative, list — more at tale
obsolete : attract , entice , charm
V. ˈtil noun
( -s )
Etymology: Anglo-French tylle
1.
a. : a box, drawer, or tray in a receptacle (as a cabinet or chest) used especially for valuables
b. : a money drawer in or behind a counter or desk (as in a store or bank)
c. : a removable compartment fitting in the drawer of a cash register and used to hold or carry money
gunmen … lifted $225 from the till — Time
d. : a place where money is kept for ready access
bank … needs some cash in its till to meet day-to-day needs of customers for cash — Federal Reserve System
2.
a. : the money contained in a till
borrow from the till
b. : a quantity or supply of ready money
passion for a brimful till — E.O.Hauser
amateur groups never forget the insistency of the till — Robertson Davies
— compare till money
3. : one of the four spaces between projections above the platen of a hand press
4. : till basket
VI. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to put (as money) in a till
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from German tülle socket, mouth of a pitcher, from Old High German tulli socket for an arrowhead; akin to Old High German tuolla small valley — more at dole
: a horizontal piece fitted between the main uprights in an early handpress and supporting the sleeve with the spindle and screws
VIII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. chiefly Scotland : a hard unproductive usually clay subsoil often containing stones and gravel
2. : unstratified drift deposited by a glacier and consisting of clay, sand, gravel and boulders intermingled in any proportions : boulder clay