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Till vs While - What's the difference?

till | while |

As a proper noun till

is .

As a noun while is

an uncertain duration of time, a period of time.

As a conjunction while is

during the same time that.

As a verb while is

to pass (time) idly.

till

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (Northumbrian) til, from (etyl) til.

Preposition

(English prepositions)
  • To.
  • *, Bk.XVIII, Ch.vii:
  • *:Than the knyghtes parters of the lystis toke up Sir Madore and led hym tylle hys tente.
  • *1854 , Prof. John Wilson, The Genius and Character of Burns , p.194 (Google preview):
  • *:Similar sentiments will recur to everyone familiar with his writings all through them till the very end.
  • Until, up to, as late as (a given time).
  • :
  • :
  • Synonyms
    * (until) til, 'til, until

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • until, until the time that
  • Maybe you can, maybe you can't: you won't know till you try.
  • * 1582 , 2:7:
  • that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please.
  • * 1846 , Edward Lear, The Book of Nonsense :
  • She twirled round and round, / Till she sunk underground,
  • * 1912 , anonymous, Punky Dunk and the Mouse , P.F. Volland & Co.:
  • And the Mouse sat and laughed till he cried.
    Synonyms
    * (until) 'til, until

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) tillen'' "to draw" from (etyl) ''-tyllan'' (as in ''betyllan'' "to lure, decoy," and ''fortyllan'' "draw away;" related to ''tollian ). Cognate with Albanian . Or alternatively from (etyl) tylle'' "compartment" from (etyl) ''tille'' "compartment, shelter on a ship" from (etyl) '' "plank."

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A cash register
  • A removable box within a cash register containing the money
  • Pull all the tills and lock them in the safe.
  • The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift
  • My count of my till was 30 dollars short.
  • (obsolete) A tray or drawer in a chest.
  • Etymology 3

    (etyl) tilian

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • to develop so as to improve or prepare for usage; to cultivate (said of knowledge, virtue, mind etc)
  • to work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops
  • * Bible, Genesis iii. 23
  • The Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
  • to cultivate soil
  • (obsolete) To prepare; to get.
  • Etymology 4

    Unknown, but possibly via etymology 3 (the verb) because alluvial deposit is used as a fertilizer.

    Noun

    (wikipedia till) (en noun)
  • glacial drift consisting of a mixture of clay, sand, pebbles and boulders
  • (dialect) manure or other material used to fertilize land
  • Etymology 5

    Shortened from lentil.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A vetch; a tare.
  • References

    * *

    References

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    while

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.
  • He lectured for quite a long while .

    Conjunction

    (wikipedia while) (English Conjunctions)
  • During the same time that.
  • * , chapter=12
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=While the powwow was going on the big woman came back again. She was consider'ble rumpled and scratched up, but there was fire in her eye.}}
  • * 1948 , , North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States , J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
  • While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
  • , volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Fantasy of navigation , passage=Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.}}
  • Although.
  • * 2013 September 28, (Kenan Malik), " London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
  • While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.
  • (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
  • As long as.
  • * I. Watts
  • Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it.

    Verb

    (whil)
  • To pass (time) idly.
  • * Longfellow
  • The lovely lady whiled the hours away.
  • To loiter.
  • (Spectator)

    Derived terms

    * while away * meanwhile * the while