Q My dictionary tells me that the origin of the word “rosary” comes from the Latin word for “rose garden.” I can’t even begin to figure out the connection here. Can you help? – E.D., Winter Haven, Fla.

A: “Rosary” is from medieval Latin “rosarium,” which in earlier Latin had meant literally “a rose garden.” It was used metaphorically to refer to a series of prayers, thought of perhaps as a garden of prayers and perhaps influenced by the association in Christian symbolism of the rose with the Virgin Mary and the rose garden with paradise. The sense of “rosary” was applied by extension to the string of beads as well as to the prayers themselves. These senses of “rosary” first appeared in English in the 16th century.

Incidentally, the word “bead” has a similar history. In Middle English “bede,” from Old English “gebed,” originally meant “a prayer.” The number and order of a series of prayers are often kept track of with a rosary. Because each of the balls on the rosary stands for a particular prayer, the name “bede,” in Modern English “bead,” was transferred to the balls themselves.

Q The little word that’s short for “until” – which way should I be spelling it – “’til” (with an apostrophe), “til” (without an apostrophe) or “till”? – J.E., San Angelo, Texas

A: We’re dealing with more than a spelling problem here. While “till” happens to be a venerable old word dating back to at least the 9th century, ” ’til” (with an apostrophe) is a very recent, 20th-century innovation. It apparently originated under the misconception that “till” is not a complete, unabbreviated word in its own right. “‘Til” was thought to be a more correct contraction of “until.” “Til” (no apostrophe) might be considered a variant spelling of “till” – at least, that’s how it appeared in dictionaries before “’til” made its debut – but nowadays it’s probably just as often considered to be another

shortened version of “until.”

The word “until” actually appeared later than “till,” around 1200. In fact, although people tend to regard “till” as a short form of “until,” it’s “until” that was formed from “till,” as a compound combining Middle English “un,” meaning “up to, as far as,” and “till,” whose inherent sense was “with the limit or goal of.” “Till” first referred to location before it referred to time, as it does today. In the precise sense that we use today it harks back to at least the 12th century. (Having the same root were the Old English adjective “til,” meaning “to the purpose, suitable, good,” and the verb “tilian,” meaning “to strive, acquire,” from which is derived our verb “till,” “to plow.”) “Until,” which at first was sometimes spelled “untill,” originally meant “to, unto,” also referring to location, not time. Its time sense first appeared around 1300.

When it comes to comparisons between “till” and “until,” “until” is often said to have a somewhat more formal quality than “till” and to be the more likely choice at the beginning of a sentence, but both are perfectly acceptable in serious writing and can be placed anywhere in a sentence.

“Til” has been criticized since its beginnings and continues to be a subject of concern for usage commentators. Over the past 20 years, it has been variously designated as “incorrect,” “obsolescent,” “inappropriate,” “superfluous,” and “absurd.” But in fact, “’til” and “til” have become common enough to be considered standard and acceptable in informal writing. For more conventional writing you would do best to spell it “till.”

This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.

Readers may send questions to Merriam-Webster’s Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, Mass. 01102.

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