/ən'tɪl; ən`tɪl/
(also till) (till more informal; until usu preferred in initial position *till多用于口语; until通常用于句首) conj up to the time when 直到...时（为止）
*Wait until the rain stops. 等到雨停了再说吧.
* Don't leave till I arrive. 我不来你不要离开.
* Continue in this direction until you see a sign. 一直朝着这个方向走就看见指示牌了.
* Until she spoke I hadn't realized she was foreign. 她要不说话我还一直不知道她是外国人.
* I won't stop shouting until you let me go. 你不放我走我就一直喊叫.
* No names are being released until (ie before) the relatives have been told. 只有在通知这些人的亲属以後才可透露其姓名.

prep, conj
[Date: 1100-1200; Origin: un- 'unto, until' + till]
if something happens until a particular time, it continues and then stops at that time
　The ticket is valid until March.
　He waited until she had finished speaking.
　Until recently, Anna worked as a teacher in Japan.
　Up until last year, they didn't even own a car.
not until
used to emphasize that something does not happen before a certain point in time or before something else has happened
　'Can I go out and play now?' 'Not until you've done your homework.'
　It was not until 1972 that the war finally came to an end.

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HINT sense 1
Until and till have the same meaning. Till is more usual in spoken English, and is not used in formal writing: Tom waited until he saw the flag. |I'll sit here till you get back.

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