noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
long ago; already; a long time ago
Used to emphasize that something happened or was the case well before the present moment. Often used in the adverbial form とっくに.
See also: とっくに
彼はとっくに帰ったよ。
He went home a long time ago.
その話はとっくの昔に聞
I heard that story ages ago.
Adverbial form meaning 'long ago' or 'already'. More common than the base noun とっく.
Derived from 疾く (とく, 'quickly') with gemination for emphasis. The exact historical development is uncertain.