tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 09 07:44:44 2008
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Re: Klingon WOTD: QIn (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Friday, May 9, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: QIn
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: message
Used in canon (?):
Qugh la'vaD QIn pav.
[Urgent message for Commander Kruge.] (ST3 DVD case)
KGT 65: Finally, though not connected to weaponry, the word {QIn} means
not only "spearhead" but also "message". In this case, it is not clear
which came first. Perhaps the spearhead was always thought of as the
message being delivered by the spear or spear wielder.
st.k (7/09/98): One might also say {QIn gher} "he/she formulates a
message" or, more colloquially, "he/she writes a message". But now it
begins to get tricky. Using {gher} here implies that the writer of the
message was passing along some information he or she got elsewhere, such as
scribbling down a telephone message. Saying {QIn qon} "he/she composes a
message" or "he/she writes a message" (literally "he/she records a
message") suggests that the writer is presenting some new information as
opposed to merely passing something along. It may also imply that the
written message has some sort of literary merit, and thus be a compliment.
Related nouns:
{jabbI'ID} "data transmission" (often used for "e-mail" among Klingonists);
{ghItlh} "manuscript"; {De'} "information, data" (cf. {potlh De'}
"priority message" & {ngoqDe'} "encoded message" [ST5 notes]).
>Homonyms:
> QIn (noun) - spearhead
KGT 64: The shaft of a spear is the {tIH}; the sharp tip or spearhead is
the {QIn}. As might be expected, there are a great many different types of
{QInmey} (the plural form of {QIn}). A plain spearhead, one that is simply
a sharp point, is a {QIn pup} ("perfect spearhead"). A tip with multiple
points is a {QIn vagh} ("spearhead number five"), though this is a bit odd
because there may be any number of points and no other spearheads are named
with numbers. A spearhead that is barbed is a {SeDveq}, a word with unknown
etymological origins and otherwise unused."
HQ 12.2 p.7: ... the sharp end of a spear is the {QIn} [...] When shown a
pencil, Maltz said that the sharp end could be called a {QIn}, but if the
pencil were new and did not yet have a point, the ready-to-be-sharpened end
would be a {megh'an} or {'er'In}.
Related nouns:
{chonnaq} & {naQjej} "hunting spear"; {ghIntaq} "battle spear", {tlhevjaQ}
(type of spear) & {chetvI'} "{tlhevjaQ}-spear-throwing device"
Related verbs:
{chuH} "throw (a spear)"
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons