Till
/tɪl/noun
To work, prepare, or cultivate soil; also, up to a specified time.
Did you know?The farming verb comes from Old English *tilian*, meaning “to labor, strive for, obtain,” while the time-word “till” is historically related to “until,” not to the farming verb.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tilōną
“to strive for, work toward, obtain”
Old English
English
tilian
“to labor, strive, aim at, obtain”
Middle English
English
tille(n)
“to cultivate land, work soil”
Old Norse
ON
til
“to, toward, until”
Modern English
English
till
“to cultivate land; up to the time that”