[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: QeDpIn

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Fri Jan 17 08:07:44 PST 2020


Klingon word: QeDpIn
Part of speech: noun
Definition: science officer
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AFAIK never used in a sentence.

(KGT 53):  There are a number of words employed to describe the specific functions performed by officers on a ship, but none of these is used as a title. For example, the science officer is the {QeDpIn} …

(KGT 158-59):  The word {pIn} is also found in nonslang terms referring to crew members on a ship: {QeDpIn} (science officer), {QumpIn} (communications officer). It is not known whether these words originated as slang and became accepted as the regular terms or whether the use of {pIn} in the sense of expert, authority was modeled after the words {QeDpIn} and {QumpIn}. Note that for the crew terms, in one case {pIn} follows a noun ({QeD}, "science" thus, {QeDpIn} is "science boss"), but in the other, it follows what is found elsewhere only as a verb ({Qum}, communicate), suggesting that there may have been a noun {Qum} (communication) at some point in the past.

Other known specialized officers are {jonpIn} "engineering officer" and {nuHpIn} "weapons officer".  The religious have a boss too:  {ghIn pIn} "abbot, abbess".

{yaH} "duty station" may be used similarly.  We know of the {Qu' vu'wI' yaH} "Mission Ops [station] (STC), 
{ropyaH} "infirmary, [sick bay]", and the {jonSeH yaH} "engine control, engineering (station)" (qepHom 2017).  On this list I've seen *{QeDyaH} "science station" used for the place where the {QeDpIn} works on the bridge.

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons




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