Klingon Word of the Day for Monday, November 30, 2020 Klingon word: ben Part of speech: noun Definition: years ago, years old _______________________________________________ cha'vatlh ben HIq vItlhutlh I will drink Two Century Old Ale. (PK) loSmaH ben jIboghpu' I am 40 years old. I was born 40 years ago. (st.k 12/12/1996) vagh SanID ben buDbe' wamwI'pu'. 5,000 years ago, hunters were not lazy. (st.k 11/1999) cha' vatlh ben 200 years ago (HQ 8.3:3) nen rav: chorgh ben AGES 8 to Adult (MKE) 'op ben pa' Dab ngan 'ej chep It was alive and prosperous once. (PB) wa’maH ben loDnI’wI’ My 10-year-old brother (Lieven < MO, qepHom’a’ 2016) (st.klingon, 12/12/1996): The word {ben} can be used to mean "years old", but in Klingon, one doesn't say "I am X years old". The phrase {loSmaH ben jIH}, if anything, would mean "40-year-old me" or the like. It would parallel {cha'vatlh ben HIq} "Two Century Old Wine". "I am 40 years old" would be expressed as: {loSmaH ben jIboghpu'}. This is "I was born 40 years ago". As is normal in Klingon sentences, the time element (in this case, {loSmaH ben} "40 years ago") comes first. (IMO, HQ 8.3:3): With longer time periods, such as a century ({vatlh DIS poH}), millennium ({SaD DIS poH}), or a period of 10,000 years (myriad, perhaps) ({netlh DIS poH}), the words {ret} or {pIq} may be used in place of {poH}, e.g., {cha' vatlh DIS poH} "two centuries", but {cha' vatlh DIS ret} "two centuries ago". The phrase {cha' vatlh ben} would mean "200 years ago". The choice of construction depends on what is being emphasized: in this case, the total number of centuries (two) or the total number of years (200). PUN: Hebrew *ben* "son, child" as in *Ani ben X* "I am X [years] old" (males), *Hu ben X* "He is X [years] old"? (Igor/Aryeh 2/2006) N.B. Phrases like *{ben law'} "many years ago, long ago", *{ben law'qu'} "long, long ago", and *{ben puS} "not long ago" are sometimes seen on the Mailing List. SEE: nem years from now (n) ret period of time ago (n) pIq period of time from now (n) SEE ALSO: DIS year (n) bogh be born (v) [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