Whill

Part of speech: conjunction, noun

Definitions

1. An archaic or Scots conjunction meaning until, or during the time that something else is happening
2. A dated Scottish word used to mean up to the point when something occurs, or for as long as something lasts
3. Old-fashioned Scots term indicating the period before an event happens or the duration during which another action continues

Etymology: "Whill" is an older spelling of "while" that survives mainly in Scots and northern English dialect, where it can mean "until," as in "wait whill I come back." It is not a separate word that happened to look similar. It is the same word in an older form. The word descends from Old English "hwīl," a noun meaning a span or period of time. Middle English used "whil" both as a noun and in phrases like "whil that" to mean "during the time that." English later narrowed the conjunction sense toward "as long as" and "during." The "until" sense apparently persisted in Scots, where "whill" kept the older conjunction use after standard English had largely handed that job to "till" and "until."