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idiom

tlhIngan Hol: maj ram

English: good, (it is) night

Source: KGT

Information
When going to sleep, Klingons generally have nothing in particular to express to one another. There are a few set phrases, however, that parents frequently say to their children, and the same expressions are commonly used by good friends, particularly on a night before a battle. One of these phrases is {yInajchu'} ("dream well"; literally, a command: "Dream perfectly!"). The other, {maj ram}, is an idiomatic expression usually rendered in Federation Standard as "good night," though this translation obscures the real meaning of the sentiment. The Klingon word {maj} is an exclamation expressing satisfaction, generally translated as simply "good," and functioning as a sentence in its own right. The second word, {ram}, is a noun meaning "night," and it is all that remains of two formerly used longer expressions, {ngaj ram} ("The night is short"; {ngaj,} "be short in duration") and {nI' ram} "The night is long"; {nI',} "be long in duration"). The original full expressions, then, were {maj, ngaj ram} ("Good, the night is short"), suggesting that it would not be long before the next day's activities could begin, or {maj, nI' ram} ("Good, the night is long"), suggesting that there was ample opportunity for rejuvenation and meaningful dreaming. Over time, as result of frequent repetition of the phrases, the original intent of both versions was lost. People said them but did not give much thought to what they meant. They came to be used interchangeably, as if they meant the same thing, namely "Good, it is night." Later, the expressions were shortened by dropping the superfluous (and, by then, meaningless) {ngaj} and {nI'}, leaving the contemporary {maj ram}. As a practical matter, Klingons still do not think about what {maj ram} means; they just say it, if they say anything at all, upon retiring
Words in this entry
pIqaD
tlhIngan Hol
Type
English
maj maj Exclamation good (expressing satisfaction)
ram ram Noun night
ram ram Verb be trivial, be trifling, be unimportant, be insignificant

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