petaQ

tlh
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p'takh, contemptible person, insult
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/pɛtɑq͡χ/
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A serious Klingon epithet for a contemptible person, famous from Star Trek and treated in canon as an insult with no neat English equivalent.

Examples

  • nuqDaq ghaH petaQ'e'?
    Where is the p'takh?
  • petaQ SoH.
    You are a p'takh.
  • petaQ!
    P'takh!
  • petaQ'a' SoH.
    You are a dirty p'takh.
  • nItlhejbogh petaQmey tInuD.
    Look at the p'takhs at your side.

Similar words

Qovpatlh
toDSaH
yIntagh
taHqeq

Meanings

Usage

Keep the canon spelling petaQ, with lower-case q nowhere in the word and no apostrophe. Use petaQpu' for the ordinary plural and petaQmey when the plural itself is meant to sound insulting.

Common mistakes

petaq changes the last Klingon consonant, and petaQ' adds an apostrophe that is not part of the canon spelling.

Etymology

Listed in The Klingon Dictionary as an epithet. A later KLI paq'batlh clarification says petaQ is unrelated to taQ, normally takes -pu', and uses -mey for extra insult.

FAQ

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