[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: SIq'ang (noun)

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon Word of the Day for Sunday, December 28, 2025

Klingon word: SIq'ang
Part of speech: noun
Definition: pole (of a planet)
Source: qepHom 2025
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(qepHom 2025, p. 32):  Informally, you can use {megh'an} and {'er'In} for the two poles of a planet. More scientifically, the term for "pole" is {SIq'ang}.

(qepHom 2025):  The request for this word was: "Both north and south pole of Earth as well as north and south pole of a magnet

(qepHom 2025):  Marc Okrand has said he will check back with Maltz about the names for the two sides of a planet's magnetic field.

PUN: 
   "Nothing forward comes to mind. So let's look at it backwards: {nga'qIS}. There is no word that's just plain {nga'}, at least not in canon. But I realized that {nga'chuq} is "have sex". And {qIS} has a similar meaning: "be libidinous". Then it hit me: it's a reference to Tropic of Cancer, [and] Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller!" (James Landau, 12/15/25)

MNEMONIC:
   "While it's always possible that it's just a word made up from a combination of phonemes that had not been combined before, I could also imagine a Klingon trying to teach a child the concept of a planet's poles by telling the child to hold up a fist. The parent then says, 'That is the planet.' The parent then places one fist above the planet, palm down and one fist below, palm up, and extends the pinkie of each of these two fists, pointing towards the center of the planet... {SIq'ang}." (charghwI'', 12/17/2025)

SEE:
peQchem 	magnetic field (n)
peQnagh 	magnet (n)
remwI' Dop 	south pole [on a magnet] (n)
tuy'wI' Dop 	north pole [on a magnet] (n)

SEE ALSO:
yuQ 		planet (n)
qo' 		world (n)
rober  		axis (n)
ghor 		surface (of planet) (n)
ghaptal 		equator (n)
'ambay 		island (n)
yuwey 		continent (n)

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons