Forms: α. 1–2 tilian (1 til(i)ʓan), 2–5 tilie(n, 3 tiliȝen, tillien, 3–5 tylye, 3–6 tile, tyle, 3–7 tille, 4 tilye, tylie, tilly, 4–6 tylle, 4–7 til, 6 tyll, 6– till. β. 1 tiol-, teolian, 2 teolien, 2–3 teliȝen, 4 telie(n, tell, teile, 4–5 (Sc. 6) tele, 5 telle, 6–7 Sc. teil, teill, 8–9 dial. teel. γ. 1–2 tylian, 3–4 tulie(n (ü), 4 tulye (ü). [OE. tilian to strive, acquire = OFris. tilia to get, cultivate, OS. tilian to obtain (MDu., Du. telen to breed, raise, cultivate, cause, etc.), OHG. zilôn, zilên to strive (G. zielen to aim, strive):—OTeut. *tilô-jan, *tilêjan, denom. f. *tilo–m: see TILL prep. By breaking of i before l, tilian became tiolian, teolian, later tele: cf. PILL v.1, PEEL v.1 (Sievers, Ags. Gram., ed. 3, § 105, 3, § 107 Anm. 4, § 416, 14 a.).]
I. To labor, work for or at, cultivate.
† 1. intr. To strive, exert oneself, labor, work.
α. c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xix. 147. He sceal tilian ðæt he liciʓe.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, xxviii. 168. To þisum swicolum life we swincað and tiliaþ and to þam towerdan life we tiliað hwonlice.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 19. Nu sculle we … tilian to þere saule bihofðe.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 37. Sume men … tiliȝet[h] michel to oðre mannæs bihofþe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 404. Ure Louerd … tiled efter hore luue.
β, γ. 971. Blickl. Hom., 219. Se deada man cwic eft … & teolode to arisenne.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., I. 412. Oxa teolað his hlaforde. Ibid., II. 76. Þa tyliað … Gode, þa ðe ne secað heora aʓen ʓestreon ðurh ʓytsunge.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 133. Þenne heo fundieð to teoliende efter istreone.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 155. Þanne hie wilen tulien after strene.
† 2. trans. To labor after, seek after, provide; to get by effort, to obtain, acquire, or earn by labor; also (later) simply, to get, obtain. OE. and Early ME. const. with genitive, later with acc. Obs.
a. 900. Ags. Psalter (Th.) xlviii. 7. Full neah ælc mann þæs tiolað … hu he on ecnesse swincan mæʓe.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 552. Se asolcena ðeowa, þe nolde tilian nan ðing his hlaforde.
c. 1016. O. E. Chron., an. 1016 (Laud). Hi … heom metes tilodon.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 223. Þu scealt mid ærfeðnesse þe metes tylian.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 80, in O. E. Misc., 3. Ne maiȝ he [the eagle] tilen him non fode.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 974. Hii … swonke & tylede hor liflode.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 220. His luf to tak & tille.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIV. 67. Many wyntres men lyueden and no mete ne tulyeden [v.rr. teleden, tiliden, tilieden, tylied; C. XVI. 271 no mete telden].
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 300. Pore men … þat hauen greet neede … to þyng þat freris tillen of hem.
c. 1425. Cast. Persev., 2538, in Macro Pl., 153. A-forn mele, men mete schul tyle [rhymes skyl, wyl, hyle].
c. 1440. York Myst., vi. 59. Adam!… tille with-alle þi meete and drynke for euer-more.
† 3. To take care of or attend to medically; to treat (a patient, or a disease). Const. as in 2. Only OE.
a. 850. Laws Ecgbert, Poenit., IV. c. 20. Wifman … ʓif heo tilað hire cilde mid æniʓum wiccecræfte.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., lxii. 457. Hwæðres … ðara yfela is betere ær to tilianne?
a. 1000. Life St. Guthlac, xxii. (Goodw.), 96. His læces hine mid sealfum lange teolodon.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 6. Þonan se micla ʓeoxa cume, oþþe hu hit mon tilian scule.
4. trans. To bestow labor and attention, such as ploughing, harrowing, manuring, etc., upon (land) so as to fit it for raising crops; to cultivate.
α. c. 1205. Lay., 2618. Þat lond heo lette tilien [c. 1275 tilie].
a. 1300. Cursor M., 23851 (Edinb.). Il worþe it es to til [v.rr. tile, tille, Gött. tell] þe fild, Þat noht ogain þe sed mai yeld.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxxii. 147. Þe folk nowþer tillez ne sawez na land.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., III. i. (Rolls), 275. Feeldis … which thei hem silf tilien.
1535. Coverdale, Gen. ii. 5. Nether was there eny man to tylle the earth.
1625. Carpenter, Geog. Delin., II. i. He began … to till and manure the soyle with all heedfull industrie.
1765. T. Hutchinson, Hist. Mass., I. 207. Light land being easily tilled.
1835. Thirlwall, Greece, I. ix. 342. The prisoners were forced to till the enemy’s land.
β. c. 1200. Vices & Virtues, 75. And land teliȝen and weriȝen.
13[?]. Tell [see quot. a. 1300 in α].
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxii. 103. Men of oure stature, þe whilk telez þe land.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 33. In londes I-telyd and not I-telyd.
1536. in Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 1538. 394. Licence … to ryfe, outbreke and teill yeirlie 1000 acris of thair commounlandis.
1569. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 653. Na Scottisman dwelland in Scotland sall tak or teill ony ground in England.
1882. Jago, Cornw. Gloss., Teel, to plant or sow.
b. spec. To plough (land).
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIX. 256. My plowman Piers shal ben…, And for to tulye [v.r. tilie] treuthe a teme shal he haue.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. xiv. 96. Quhair thow thi riggis telis for to saw.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Sam. xiv. 14. Halue an aker of londe, which a pare of oxen maye tyll in one daye.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 260. An Hide … is so much Land as a Man can till with one Plow for a year.
1863. Fawcett, Pol. Econ., I. iv. (1876), 42. The same ploughs till the land for many successive crops.
c. absol.
1100–21. O. E. Chron. an. 1097. On unʓewederan þa man oððe tilian sceolde oððe eft tilða ʓegaderian.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 854. Whan ȝe mow take no tol to tilien on erþe.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 4581. How suld ȝe telle withouten toles?
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., V. (S.T.S.), I. 293. This Haii … was behaldeng in the neist feild how the pluche teilet.
1652. Bp. Hall, Invis. World, I. viii. They then must purvey for their own food, and either till, or famish.
1850. Mrs. Jameson, Leg. Monast. Ord. (1863), 125. They drained, they tilled, they planted.
† 5. trans. To raise, rear (a crop); to tend and cultivate (a plant) so as to promote growth. Obs.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1278. Abraham … tillede corn and sette treen.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 309. To ere and sowe and haue corne i-teled.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), v. 50. Men maken all weys þat bawme to ben tyled of the cristen men.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 391 b/1. Of hym that tylyeth the vyne.
6. fig. To cultivate (something figured as land or as a crop, e.g., the mind, a ‘field of knowledge, a virtue, etc.).
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. I. 87. Bisshopes … Ben chargid with holy churche charyte to tulie, Þat is, leel loue … a-mong lered and lewed.
1535. Coverdale, Ezek. xxxvi. 9. Vnto you will I turne me, that ye maye be tylled and sowen.
1642. Gauden, Three Serm., 132. Hee becomes tild and polished for the best society.
1730. W. P., trans. Ribadeneira’s Lives of Saints, I. 134/2. That which is most to be admired, is to see him come down from Heaven, and to betake himself to the Office of a Labourer to Till the Field of the Church.
a. 1764. Lloyd, Author’s Apol., Wks. 1774, I. 6. And tills their minds with proper care.
1889. Roscoe, in Nature, 10 Oct., 579/1. His most important researches have entered upon fields hitherto tilled, with but scanty success, by the biologist.
II. To prepare, set, or spread in readiness.
7. trans. To spread (a net), set (a trap or snare). Also, to set in any position. Now s. w. dial. Cf. TELD v. 4. Also absol.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 334 (MS. Nero). Þer me sit mid þe greahundes forte kepen þe hearde, oðer tillen [v.rr. Vern. tilleþ, Corpus, Cleop., Caius tildeð, Titus tildes] þe nettes aȝean ham.
1587. Turberv., Trag. T., 33. The wilie witted boy That tiles his trappe to take the subtile foxe.
1613. W. Browne, Sheph. Pipe, II. (1614), D j b. Nor knowes a trappe nor snare to till.
c. 1750. Mrs. Palmer, Devon Dial. (1837), 2. Took a bard out of the springal that little maester had a-teel’d.
1799. in Southey, Comm.-pl. Bk. (1851), IV. 523. [By Newton Bushel we saw a board] Man Traps and Spring Guns are tilled in this Garden.
1880. Carnegie, Trapping, 5. It is ten chances to one that the rabbit will go over or to the place at which you did not (as it is called in the West) ‘till’ your gin. Ibid., 36. In … trapping rooks … there is no difficulty in telling what part of the field to ‘till’ in.
1882. Jago, Cornw. Gloss., Teel, to set or ‘teel a trap.’
1890. Gloucestersh. Gloss., Tile or Teel … to tile a trap, to set a trap; to tile a gate, to set it open.
1895. Quiller-Couch, Wand. Heath, 80. He and his mates went out and tilled the trammel.
† 8. To pitch (a tent): = TELD v. 1; to set (a sail). Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. II. 44. Ten þousend of Tentes I-tilled [v.rr. I-teldyde, teldit, teled] be-sydes.
1628. Digby, Voy. Medit. (Camden), 11. We had not men enough to till our sales untill the other shippes were gone past our discerning.
III. † 9. Comb. of verb-stem. Till-land (teleland), tilled land, land under cultivation; so till-ridge (teill ryge). Sc. Obs.
1437. Registr. Aberdon. (Maitland), I. 247. Merkand northwest our a moss to þe nerrast teleland of Ardgrane.
1549. Aberdeen Regr. (Spald. Cl.), I. 274. That na maner of takismen … ryif out … ony landis … without thair teill ryge of auld.
