[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: nentay

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Thu Dec 3 07:14:00 PST 2020


Klingon Word of the Day for Thursday, December 03, 2020

Klingon word: 	nentay
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	Rite of Ascension
_______________________________________________

  nentay loptaHvIS tlhIngan potlh tlhIngan 'oy'naQ'e' 
  The Klingon Painstik is an important part of a Klingon's 
    Age of Ascension ceremony. (S32)

It consists of two parts:  {nentay wa'DIch}, the First Rite of Ascension (which signals the celebrant's willingness to commit him/herself to the way of the warrior) performed before the age of thirteen (TNG "Firstborn"), and the {nentay cha'DIch}, the Second Rite of Ascension, performed at the age of fifteen. (TNG "The Icarus Factor")
 
(KGT 11):  a ceremony symbolizing a young Klingon's attainment of a certain spiritual level
 
(S9):  The Age of Ascension marks a new level of spiritual attainment by a Klingon warrior. The initiate must pass through a gauntlet of warriors who test him with painstiks.

(KCD):  Though training in {betleH} begins early in a Klingon's life, mastery is rarely reached until years after the Rite of Ascension.

SEE:
nenghep  	Age of Ascension (n)

  qaSDI' nenghep, qa' patlh chu' chav tlhIngan SuvwI' 
  The Age of Ascension marks a new level of spiritual attainment 
    by a Klingon warrior. (S9)

  'oy'naQ Dalo'be'chugh not nenghep lop puq 
  If you don't use the painstik, the child will never celebrate his
    Age of Ascension. (TKW)

(TKW 110):  Upon reaching a certain age, the Age of Ascension, a young Klingon undergoes a rite of passage symbolizing the attainment of a certain spiritual level. After intoning the three ancient and sacred phrases recorded above, the initiate, while walking along a path lined by painstik-wielding warriors, expresses his or her deepest feelings.

(KGT 198):  Most older children drop the -oy around the time of their Age of Ascension, though some continue to use it even after that, especially when addressing the parent of the opposite sex.

TREK TRIVIA:
The Ferengi "Attainment Ceremony" marks the time when an individual became old enough to make his own decisions. A young Ferengi about to embark on his first significant business opportunity might auction off personal items that had strong sentimental value in order to raise capital for his venture. (DS9 "Heart of Stone", "Little Green Men")

SEE ALSO:
peHghep 	Age of Inclusion (n)

The sixth year of a Klingon's life.  Worf had not yet reached the Age of Inclusion when he was orphaned at Khitomer. (TNG "Heart of Glory")

'oy'naQ  	painstik (n)


[Feel free to mention any relevant vocabulary or usage notes from
 the last year or so. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my notes.]
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons




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