I use "ointment" and "unguent" to refer to something in a petroleum jelly base (vaseline). I use "salve" to refer to any topically applied treatment regardless of base. I've never been certain that I am using them "correctly", but that's the best understanding I've been able to glean. Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/ghei36> ________________________________ From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces@lists.kli.org> on behalf of mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 4, 2021 10:00:03 AM To: tlhIngan Hol mailing list <tlhingan-hol@kli.org> Subject: [tlhIngan Hol] expressing "unguent" At first I read at merriam-webster: unguent (n) a soothing or healing salve: ointment. Then I pressed on the "ointment": ointment (n) a salve or unguent for application to the skin. "Thanks for nothing.." I thought.. So, I pressed on the "salve": salve (n) an unctuous adhesive substance for application to wounds or sores. And then I thought, what the hell? Are you kidding me? So I pressed on the "unctuous": unctuous (adj) a) fatty, oily b) smooth and greasy in texture or appearance. Throwing all of the above in the blender, I finally thought that perhaps I could use "paste", so I put that too in merriam-webster: paste (n) a dough that contains a considerable proportion of fat and is used for pastry crust or fancy rolls. (I've only included the relevenant merriam-webster definitions). And then I thought, that perhaps I could use "cream", because when I hear "cream" my mind goes to.. "Creams are semisolid dosage forms containing more than 20% water or volatile components and typically less than 50% hydrocarbons, waxes, or polyols as vehicles. They may also contain one or more drug substances dissolved or dispersed in a suitable cream base". (Source: Wikipedia - "Cream (pharmacy)" article). So, without a second thought, I grabbed {qulcher} (n) "cream" by the hair, which was conveniently grazing somewhere nearby, and I thought: "Good.. This will do; all I have to do is place a {Hergh} before the {qulcher} and bob's your uncle (as Americans say)". But then I put "cream" in merriam-webster, which in turn said: cream (n) a) the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat b) something having the consistency of cream. especially: a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation. And I wondered, does the Klingon {qulcher} include the "medicinal" kind? I noticed that the word for "ice cream" is {nIm qulcher taD}; not just {qulcher taD}. So, logically speaking, since the literal translation of {nIm qulcher taD} is "frozen cream of milk", then the {qulcher} isn't by definition something "made of milk". ...And perhaps it isn't by definition something which must be necessarily edible. So, for lack of a better alternative, I'm inclined to start using {Hergh qulcher}. -- Dana'an https://sacredtextsinklingon.wordpress.com/ Ζεὺς ἦν, Ζεὺς ἐστίν, Ζεὺς ἔσσεται· ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ _______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org