卒そつ

noun

low-ranking soldier

Historical term for a common soldier in pre-modern Japanese military contexts.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいの卒そつは、足あし軽がるよりも下したの身み分ぶんだった。

  In the Edo period, a 卒 was a rank below that of an ashigaru foot soldier.

noun, used as a suffix, noun

graduation

Abbreviation of 卒業. Used as a suffix in compounds like 大卒 (university graduate) or 中卒 (junior high school graduate).

See also: 卒業

• 彼かれは大だい卒そつで、すぐに就しゅう職しょくした。

  He is a university graduate and found a job right away.

noun, used as a suffix, noun, used as a prefix

moving on (from); outgrowing (something)

Abbreviation of 卒業 in its figurative sense. Used as a suffix or prefix to indicate leaving behind a stage, habit, or item. Common in phrases like そろそろゲームを卒業する (to outgrow gaming).

See also: 卒業

• そろそろ夜よ更ふかしを卒そつ業ぎょうしたい。

  I want to outgrow staying up late.

noun

low-ranking samurai (1870-1872)

Historical abbreviation of 卒族, referring to a specific low-ranking samurai class during the early Meiji period.

See also: 卒族

• 明めい治じ初しょ期きの卒そつは、士し族ぞくの中なかでも最さい下か層そうに位い置ちづけられた。

  In the early Meiji period, the 卒 were placed at the lowest tier of the warrior class.

noun

death (of a noble, etc.)

Abbreviation of 卒去, a respectful term for the death of a noble or high-ranking person. Rare in modern usage.

See also: 卒去

• 古こ文もん書じょには、貴き人じんの卒そつが簡かん潔けつに記しるされていた。

  In the old document, the death of the noble was recorded simply as 卒.