1) Short form of "until then thus". It is a succession of three words which is often used inside a sentence, often with a point, comma or semicolon between "then" and "thus". 2) til: "until: Up to the time of (something happening). Before (a time). Synonyms 'til (nonstandard), till" 3) thus: "As a result. Thus I will be able to fix the car without having to call a mechanic. In this way or manner. If you throw the ball thus, as I’m showing you, you’ll have better luck hitting the target." 4) Examples: "Investors will stop buying until then. Thus mortgage interest rates go up, because lenders hesitate to sell their loans at the prevailing lower yields." http://www.foreclosure1.com/mortgage-interest-rates.php "The realistic and psychological painting of prostitution, which had captivated him until then, thus gave way to an allegorical and ironical outlook on the hold that sex had on human reality." http://www.ciger.be/rops/espace/documents/Biographie_Rops_En.doc "Abel Gance used for the first time the camera as an integral part of the action, moving it around instead of keeping it static as had been the case until then, thus giving the film a fluidity that set it apart from anything that had been done before" http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/jan00/Honn4.htm