tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 22 07:15:35 2013
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Qom
> Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 22, 2013
>
> Klingon word: Qom
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: experience an earthquake or tremor
Qom Qu'
The mission experiences a tremor. KGT
Qom He
The route experiences a tremor. KGT
Qompu' Duj
The ship has experienced a tremor. KGT
Qombe'! nISbe' jevwI', 'ej not ruS baq.
That looks on tempests and is never shaken. (Sonnet 116)
[lit. "It does not tremble! The storm does not disrupt it,
and it never terminates the bond."]
Cf. the slang term {Qom} "be hazardous, be perilous, be treacherous":
KGT 162-63: The word {Qom} literally means "experience a tremor" or, using an old Terran phrase, "experience an earthquake". The word is used in its slang sense of "perilous, treacherous" when applied to a mission or voyage. For example, {Qom Qu'} (literally, "The mission experiences a tremor") means "The mission is perilous". Likewise, {Qom He} (literally, "The route experiences a tremor") generally means "The route is treacherous", implying that the journey is treacherous. The word can also be applied to the state of a structure or a vessel following a disastrous encounter, though in this case the verb usually takes the perfective suffix {-pu'}, indicating that the action has been completed. Thus, {Qompu' Duj} (literally, "The ship has experienced a tremor") may be used to mean "The ship is hazardous, has been left in a hazardous condition".
The fact that in the Krotmag dialect ... the word {Qob} (be dangerous) would be pronounced {Qom} is probably not unrelated to the origin of the idiomatic usage of {Qom}, though the basic meaning of {Qom} itself certainly carries with it the notion of potential danger. Note that despite its slang meaning of "be hazardous, treacherous", the way the verb is used grammatically is based on its standard, literal sense. That is, while it is acceptable to say {He Qob} ("dangerous route"), using {Qob} (be dangerous) adjectivally, it is ungrammatical to say *{He Qom} for "perilous route". The verb {Qom} still means "experience a tremor" and must be used in a grammatical structure appropriate to that meaning.
KGT 162 (ill.): Trafficking with the Romulans shows that B'Etor's ... mission will be {Qom}.
Trek trivia:
The star Minara entered a critical stage prior to going nova in 2268. Periods of intense solar flare activity were accompanied by earthquakes on Minara II. (TOS "The Empath")
Related words:
Seq fault (n)
Qargh fissure (n)
DI litter, rubble, debris (n)
pIgh ruins (n)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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