The Collaborative International Dictionary
Then \Then\ ([th][e^]n), adv. [Originally the same word as than. See Than.]
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At that time (referring to a time specified, either past or future).
And the Canaanite was then in the land.
--Gen. xii. 6.Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
--1 Cor. xiii. 1 -
2. Soon afterward, or immediately; next; afterward.
First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
--Matt. v. 24. -
At another time; later; again. One while the master is not aware of what is done, and then in other cases it may fall out to be own act. --L'Estrange. By then.
By that time.
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By the time that. [Obs.]
But that opinion, I trust, by then this following argument hath been well read, will be left for one of the mysteries of an indulgent Antichrist.
--Milton.Now and then. See under Now, adv.
Till then, until that time; until the time mentioned.
--Milton.Note: Then is often used elliptically, like an adjective, for then existing; as, the then administration.
Till \Till\, prep. [OE. til, Icel. til; akin to Dan. til, Sw. till, OFries. til, also to AS. til good, excellent, G. ziel end, limit, object, OHG. zil, Goth. tils, gatils, fit, convenient, and E. till to cultivate. See Till, v. t.] To; unto; up to; as far as; until; -- now used only in respect to time, but formerly, also, of place, degree, etc., and still so used in Scotland and in parts of England and Ireland; as, I worked till four o'clock; I will wait till next week.
He . . . came till an house.
--Chaucer.
Women, up till this
Cramped under worse than South-sea-isle taboo.
--Tennyson.
Similar sentiments will recur to every one familiar
with his writings -- all through them till the very
end.
--Prof.
Wilson.
Till now, to the present time.
Till then, to that time.
Wikipedia
"Till Then" is a popular song written by Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, and Guy Wood and published in 1944.
The song was a plea (presumably by a soldier off to fight the war) to his sweetheart to wait for him until he could get back home. Like many war-themed songs, it enjoyed great popularity when it came out in 1944, and versions by The Mills Brothers and the Les Brown orchestra dominated the charts. The recording by The Mills Brothers was released by Decca Records as catalog number 18599. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on September 21, 1944, and lasted three weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 8 (a two-sided hit, backed by " You Always Hurt the One You Love"). It also topped the R&B charts.
Ten years later, the song once more became quite popular. Both a doo-wop version by Sonny Til & The Orioles and a traditional pop version by The Hilltoppers charted that year. The recording by The Hilltoppers was released by Dot Records as catalog number 15132. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on January 23, 1954, and spent 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 10.
The song has continued to be popular, with versions recorded in later years by such as Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, and Al Martino. A 1963 version by The Classics reached No. 20 on the chart.
The Mills Brothers' version of the song was featured on an episode of the TV show The Others entitled "Till Then" (April 29, 2000, Season 1 – Episode 10).
The Mills Brothers' recording of the song can be heard in Millennium episode "Matryoshka", which starred Lance Henriksen and first aired on 19 February 1999.
The song has recently been covered by the Missouri band The Cotton Mollies.
Usage examples of "till then".
I hadn't thought till then that the floor of the hall was so uneven.
At another time, the many became crazed on the subject of the Philosopher's Stone, and committed follies till then unheard of in the pursuit.
Since no one else up till then had been interested in a book-length adult fantasy, I was surprised by his encouragement.
A few individual women had publicly advocated equality of rights--the number could be more than counted on one's fingers--but a convention for this purpose and an organized demand had been till then undreamed of.
The person who acted Polly, till then obscure, became all at once the favourite of the town.
They beheld me with all the marks and circumstances of wonder, neither indeed was I much in their debt, having never till then seen a race of mortals so singular in their shapes, habits, and countenances.
He grinned suddenly, and Telzey felt the psi controls she hadn't been able to sense till then release her.
Charity, till then, had been conscious only of a vague self-disgust and a frightening physical distress.
I'll get a radio from the track, I'll still be able to call fire right up till then.
Separated from childhood from his parents, whom he had scarcely known, cloistered and as it were spellbound by his books, eager above all things to study and to learn, exclusively attentive till then to his understanding which expanded itself in science, to his imagination which grew up in letters, the young scholar had not yet had time to find out where his heart lay.