Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: HoSghaj

[Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu>]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 15, 2015
> 
> Klingon word: HoSghaj
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: be powerful

HoSghajqu' 
Too potent! (i.e. Romulan ale) CK

vay' DaghIjlaHchugh bIHoSghaj 
Fear is power. TKW
[TKW 109:  The meaning of this saying, of course, is that one who has the ability to instill fear can exert control over those who are afraid; there is more to power than physical force.]

HoSghaj; mupwI' rur 
powerful as a hammer  KGT
[KGT 129:"for a Klingon, a hammer is a symbol of power.]

Mentioned in CK in the section on expressing opinions of Klingon sites. "Some houses (that is, lineages) are more wealthy and powerful than others." (KGT 5)

N.B. {HoS} "be strong" (v):

HoS; 'Iw rur 
strong as blood KGT

ghIq HoSHa'choHpu' moratlh 
And Morath's strength was gone PB

vaj ruS cher 'Iw rap cha' ghot HoS rap cha' ghot vuD chen yIn ruS 
So the bond was sealed in blood of two equal in body and thought, the bond of life. PB

tlhIngan yoH HoS verengan yoH puj 
The Klingon is braver than the Ferengi (slang) KGT

tlhIngan yoH HoS Hoch yoH puj 
Klingons are the bravest of all (slang) KGT

tlhIngan HoS law' 'Iw HoS law' 
the Klingon is as strong as blood (HQ 13.1:10)

st.klingon (6/1997):  I don't think it's necessarily the case that, for example, the verb {HoS} "be strong" is being used as a noun (meaning strength). By the same token, I don't think it's the case that the noun {HoS} "strength" is being used as a verb (meaning be strong). This may be what happened historically (that is, in an older stage of the Klingon language, there may have been a verb {HoS} which people started using as a noun, or there may have been a noun {HoS} which people started using as a verb), but, right now, all we can say is that there is a pair of words. We don't know which developed from which (or if either or both developed form something else).


SEE ALSO:
HoS  			strength, energy, power (n)

qu' 			be fierce (v)
rach 			fortify, strengthen (v)
Dun 			be wonderful/great (v)
pov 			be excellent (v)
qu' 			be great/wonderful/excellent/superlative/splendid (v; slang)
puj 			be weak (v)


"Do you know why we are so strong? Because we are a unit. Each of us is part of a greater whole." (Kor, TOS "Errand of Mercy")

Cf. John Ford's Klingon proverb: "If there are gods, they do not help, and justice belongs to the strong: but know that all things done before the naked stars are remembered." (TFR [1984], p. 23 et passim)


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



_______________________________________________
Tlhingan-hol mailing list
Tlhingan-hol@kli.org
http://mail.kli.org/mailman/listinfo/tlhingan-hol