_Etymology of "till," "until."_--Many monosyllables in language are,
upon examination, found to be in reality compounds, disguised by
contraction. A few instances are, _non_, Lat. ne-un-(us); _dont_, Fr.
de-unde; _such_, Eng. so-like; _which_, who-like. In like manner I
believe _till_, to-while, and _until_, unto-while. Now _while_ is
properly a substantive, and signifies _time_, corresponding to _dum_,
Lat., in many of its uses, which again is connected with _diu_, _dies_,
both which are used in the indefinite sense of _a while_, as well as in
the definite sense of _a day_. _Adesdum_, come here a while; _interdum_,
between whiles. If ~te~ (Gr.) is connected with this root, then
~este~, to-while, till. Lawrence Minot says, "_To time_ (till) he
thinks to fight."
_Dum_ has the double meaning of _while_ and _to-while_.