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Klingon WOTD: meqleH (noun)

daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (speersd@georgetown.edu)
Sat Feb 16 06:02:34 2008

To: tlhIngan-Hol@kli.org
Cc: kwotd@onelist.com, qepHom@egroups.com
From: speersd@georgetown.edu
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2008 06:00:00 -0500
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org

This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Saturday, February 16, 2008.

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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