[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: chovnatlh

[Steven Boozer]

>> Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 31, 2012
>>
>> Klingon word:   chovnatlh
>> Part of speech: noun
>> Definition:     specimen

Voragh:
> Apparently derived from the verb {chov} "assess, evaluate, test":
> 
>   luchovmeH 'oy'naQmey lo'
>   [Warriors] who test him with painstiks. S9
> 
>   tlhIngan wo' yuQmey chovlu'chugh Qo'noS potlh law' Hoch potlh puS.
>   The principal planet of the Klingon Empire, Qo'noS... S27

... and the verb {natlh} "consume, use up, expend":

KGT 155:  Literally meaning "consume, use up, expend", {natlh} is normally applied to energy, fuel, supplies, and the like and is used in phrases such as {nIn Hoch natlhlu'pu'} ("All the fuel has been consumed") ... 

I suppose the reason is that often small samples are used up as a result of the testing process (e.g. C-14 and DNA testing).


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons