Re: Klingon WOTD: puH (noun)

[Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu>]

>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Wednesday, July 27, 2005.
>
>Klingon word:   puH
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition:     land

AFAIK {puH} has never been used in canon, but Okrand does use "land(s)" in KGT:

   The Klingon Homeworld {Qo'noS}, usually rendered Kronos in
   Federation Standard, is a planet with basically one very
   large mass of land surrounded by ocean; perhaps continent
   is a comparable concept.  (KGT 16)

   Some houses are particularly wealthy, controlling vast lands
   by means of armed forces loyal to the particular house. (KGT 36)

   If the High Council determines an action to be dishonorable,
   not only may it remove the leader of a house from the Council
   itself, it may also seize the house's lands, forces, and other
   holdings.  (KGT 37-38)

Related nouns include {Hatlh} "country(side)", {yotlh} "field", {lam} 
"dirt", {yav} "ground" and {ghor} "surface (of planet)".

The intransitive verb "land" is {Saq} if a ship or bird alights on the 
ground and {tlhot} if on the water (cf. HQ 10.4).

Some unofficial coinings I've seen on the List are *{bIQpuH} "island", 
*{juHpuH} "homeland" and *{veHpuH} "borderland(s), frontier".  Qov uses 
*{Doyche puH} Germany, *{polpuH} Poland, *{puH'eS} Netherlands, *{taypuH} 
Thailand and *{'engpuH} England (also used by the KSRP) on her {bo logh} 
blog when discussing current (Terran) events.

The etymology of the expletive {wejpuH} "Charming!" is unknown.



--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons