tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 01 03:00:35 2005
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Klingon WOTD: meqleH (noun)
This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Tuesday, November 1, 2005.
Category: Weapons/War
Klingon word: meqleH
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: type of weapon, [mek'leth]
Source: KGT (219 KE, 250 EK, 263 EK)
Swedish: ett slags vapen, ~mek'leth~
Additional Notes:
KGT p. 60: A smaller, one-handed version of the [bat'leth] is the {meqleH}, rendered in Federation Standard as [mek'leth]. For a minority of Klingons who pronounce both {b} and {m} identically, as {m}, the words {betleH} and {meqleH} sound almost the same, especially when shouted in the heat of battle. Because of the importance of the [bat'leth] in Klingon tradition, however, they have taken to calling the [bat'leth] {betleH quv} (pronounced {metleH quv}), or "honored [bat'leth]," while the [meq'leth] is {meqleH matlh}, or "loyal [mek'leth]." Although {betleH quv} might be considered a bit redundant ("honored sword of honor"), it does the job of maintaining the distinction. The longer {betleH quv} and {meqleH matlh} are sometimes heard even among Klingons who pronounce {b} and {m} distinctly, though not as frequently as the on-word forms.
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