noun
Almost exclusively used in the negative phrase とりとめのない (rambling, incoherent, pointless). The standalone noun is very rare.
See also: とりとめのない
彼の話はとりとめがなくて、何が言いたいのかわからなかった。
His story was rambling, and I couldn't tell what he wanted to say.
とりとめのない会話を楽しんだ。
We enjoyed a meandering, aimless conversation.
Rare kanji spelling.
Rare kanji spelling.
This is the common adjectival phrase meaning 'rambling' or 'incoherent'. The noun とりとめ itself is rarely used outside this phrase.
Derived from the verb 取り留める (to hold onto, to keep in place), with the nominalized form とりとめ originally meaning 'holding together' or 'coherence'. The exact historical development is uncertain.