つとめて

Japanese

Etymology 1

Compound of 夙 (tsuto, “early morning”) +‎ めて (mete, uncertain).

A surface analysis suggests that the -mete may have originated as the conjunctive -te form of the verb-forming suffix -meru (“to make something become more [of the suffixed term]”), as in words like 広める (hiromeru, “to widen”, from 広い (hiroi), “wide”). That said, -meru usually produces transitive verbs, contrasting with intransitive suffix -maru, and a transitive sense in this word seems out of place. Then again, at least one monolingual Japanese resource derives verb 務める (tsutomeru, “to be working, as an occupation”, intransitive) from the same root 夙 (tsuto) and this suffix -meru.

First cited to The Tales of Ise of the early 900s.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) つとめて [tsùtóꜜmètè] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨto̞me̞te̞]

Noun

つとめて • (tsutomete) 

1. [from early 900s] (archaic) early morning
   • 1002, Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book:

     冬(ふゆ)はつとめて。雪(ゆき)の降(ふ)りたるはいふべきにもあらず、霜(しも)のいと白(しろ)きも、またさらでもいと寒(さむ)きに、火(ひ)など急(いそ)ぎおこして、炭(すみ)もて渡(わた)るもいとつきづきし。昼(ひる)になりて、ぬるくゆるびもていけば、火(ひ)桶(をけ)の火(ひ)も白(しろ)き灰(はひ)がちになりてわろし。

     Fuyu wa tsutomete. Yuki no furitaru wa iubeki ni mo arazu, shimo no ito-shiroki mo, mata sarade mo ito-samuki ni, hi nado isogi-okoshite, sumi motewataru mo ito-tsukizukishi. Hiru ni narite, nuruku yurubi-moteikeba, hioke no hi mo shiroki hai ga chi ni narite waroshi.

     Winter is the early morning: for snow to fall and the frost so white, or otherwise it is very cold that the fires are lit in a hurry and charcoal are passed on; how suitable [for this season]. As it becomes noon, more relaxed and warmth brought in, the braziers’ flames are nothing but white ash.

2. [from late 900s] (archaic) next morning
   • c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari (Yūgao)

     翌朝(つとめて)、少(すこ)し寝(ね)過(す)ぐし給(たま)ひて、日(ひ)さし出(い)づるほどに出(い)で給(たま)ふ、朝明(あさけ)の姿(すがた)は、げに人(ひと)のめで聞(き)こえむも、ことわりなる御(おほむ)さまなりけり。

     Tsutomete, sukoshi nesugushitamaite, hi sashi-izuru hodo ni idetamau, asake no sugata wa, ge ni hito no mede kikoen mo, kotowari naru ōnsama narikeri.

     Next morning, I’ll sleep through the night, then when the sun comes out, the image of the morning glow is what I saw: love of people; I have to listen, and even after that, reasoning still looks great.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of つとめて – see the following entry.

【努めて】 [adverb] [from mid-1200s] as much as possible, as far as possible; to the best of one’s ability, diligently Alternative spellings 勉めて, 力めて

(This term, つとめて (tsutomete), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)