until English · revision 1795

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 1200 (Ormulum)|origins=non *und}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ənˈtɪl/, /ʌnˈtɪl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a Middle English compound, [[af|enm|un-|til|t1=as far as, up to|t2=till]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(AHD) the first element being [[bor|non|*und|t=as far as, up to]],^(Etymonline)^(COED 2004)^(SOED 2002) preserved in [[m|non|unz]] “until”, from und es “till that”,^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986) from [[gem-pro|*und-]],^(Etymonline) which is related to Old English [[m|ang|oþ|t=up to, as far as]], [[got|𐌿𐌽𐌳|tr=und|t=unto, until]] and [[osx|und]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline and Barnhart trace it to [[ine-pro|*ant-|t=front, forehead]], with derivatives meaning “in front of, before”.^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000)^(Barnhart 1988) The second element is [[till]], itself from Scandinavian.^(AHD)^(Skeat 1911) The two syllables thus originally meant the same thing.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(COED 2004) Klein, Skeat and Weekley explain it as [[unto]] with the northern and Scandinavian til substituted for to.^(Klein 1966)^(Skeat 1911)^(Weekley 1921) [[sv|intill]] and [[da|indtil]] are similar formations.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Onward to and into, as far as (of places and persons; about 1200, in the ''Ormulum'').^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ At first ''until'' was used of places and persons as well as of time, meaning “to, unto” and “up to, as far as”;^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) these senses survive only in Scottish and northern English.^(SOED 2002)^(MW Collegiate) The sense “continually, up to the time of” dates from the early 14th century,^(Etymonline) and the conjunction “up to the time that” from about 1300.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MED) In negative sentences ''until'' came to mean “before”, as in ''not until Friday''.^(AHD)^(RHWU) Johnson (1755) gave the senses “to the time that” and “to the place that”, and noted that its use for places had become obsolete.^(Johnson 1755) German ''bis'' is a similar compound, of Old High German ''bī'' “by” and ''zuo'' “to”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – ''untill'', to, as far as, in the ''Ormulum''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1300 – as a conjunction.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * early 14th century – up to the time of.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # Up to the time of: ''we danced until dawn''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Before (a specified time), after a negative: ''can't leave until Friday''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # ''(Scotland)'' To, unto.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # Up to the time that: ''we walked until it got dark''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Before, after a negative: ''you cannot leave until your work is finished''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To the point or extent that: ''talked until I was hoarse''.^(AHD)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [['til]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[till]]

+ * [[unto]]

+ * [[end]]

+ * [[ante-]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Until'' and [[till]] are generally interchangeable, but ''till'' is usually considered more informal, and ''until'' is preferred at the beginning of a sentence.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)^(Collins 2023) The American Heritage Dictionary notes that ''till'' is actually the older word, ''until'' having been formed from it; the 18th-century spelling '''till'', as though it were short for ''until'', is now nonstandard, and '''til'' is etymologically incorrect.^(AHD)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}