[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: naH

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: 	naH
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	fruit, vegetable
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naH poch 
He/she plants fruit or vegetables.  (KGT)

LANGUAGE NOTES:
(KGT 89):  Any part of any plant that is eaten may be termed {naH}, usually translated fruit or vegetable.  Any nut (a fruit with a hard shell) is called a {naHlet} (literally, "hard fruit"), a thistle (a flower with dangerously sharp leaves) is a {naHjej} (literally, "sharp fruit"), a bean (which, in this case, may mean the pod or the seed or seeds in it or both) is a {qurgh}, and a root or tuber is a {'oQqar}.  Otherwise there are no known generic names for different types of {naH} (though there are terms for specific plants and parts of a plant). 
    A plant's sap or juice is called {vIychorgh}.  The outer covering of a fruit or vegetable ({yub} "husk, rind, peel") is always consumed, except in the case of the {naHlet yub} (nut shell)...  Fruit or vegetables that come from a farm ({Du'}) are called either {naH} alone or {Du' naH} ("farm fruit or vegetable" or produce); the wild variety is termed {naH tlhab} (literally, "free fruit or vegetable"). 
    The verb {yob} (harvest) is used to refer to gathering up plants or plant parts, whether from a field ({yotlh}) that has been sown or out in the wild.  The verb meaning farm is {wIj}; that meaning plant (referring to vegetation of any kind) is {poch}.  One may say ... {naH poch} ("He/she plants fruit or vegetables"), referring to the ultimate use of the plant as a food source.

Cf. {reS} "grow (flowers/plant/vegetables)": “as in she grows carrot " [Alice]

(charghwI'):  I have come to accept that if you eat it, it is {naH}. If it is a plant and you don't eat it, it is {tI}. Perhaps {tI} includes {naH} as a subset.

CULTURE NOTES:
(KGT 85):  The Klingon diet consists primarily of animal matter.  With a few notable exceptions, plants seldom form the bases of dishes in their own right, though they are used quite a bit in food preparation, particularly as seasoning.

(KGT 85):  A vegetable or fruit that is {baQ} (fresh, just picked, just fallen off the plant), on the other hand, is not as favored as one that is {DeH} (ripe, though overripe might be closer to the mark) or even {QaD} (dry, dried out).

(KGT 92):  Finally, the way to prepare a common dish called {qompogh} is to mash ({tap}) a mixture of various types of {naH} (fruit, vegetable), with or without some animal matter, into a rather lumpy paste and then to let it {rogh} (ferment).

(KGT 93f):  It is also not unusual to {HaH} (marinate) or {roghmoH} (ferment) various sorts of {naH} (fruit, vegetable).  One common dish is a torpedo-shaped fruit called {peb'ot}, which is soaked in a {chanDoq} (marinade).  The fully marinated {peb'ot} is called a {Hurgh]. Experienced cooks will {mIQ} (fry) the {DIghna' por} (*digna* leaf), though this is risky, since if the leaf is heated for too long, it will wilt.

SEE:
banan naH 		banana (n)
mengho' naH 		mango (n)
pIlam naH 		plum (n)
ghIrep naHmey 		grapes (n)
per naHmey 		pears (n) 
raSber naHmey 		raspberries (n)
Sutra'ber naHmey 	strawberries (n) 
tomat naHmey 		tomatoes (n)
'epIl naHmey 		apples (n)

SEE ALSO:
San'emDer 		plant (n)
tI 			vegetation (n)
tIr 			grain (n)

--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
    Please contribute relevant vocabulary or notes from the last 
    year or two. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my files.