Where does “until” come from?

Until comes from Middle English until, a compound of the preposition unto and the word til meaning "to," originally denoting the point in time at which something ceases.

until (English): Up to the time of; Before; To; physically towards

Definitions

  1. Up to the time of; Before; To; physically towards

Ancestry of “until”, step by step

until traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English until

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishuntil—

via Middle English untill

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishuntill—

via Middle English ontill

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishontill—

Words derived from “until”

Every word from Middle English until →