Tawi'Yan was a term in Klingonese meaning "sword-bearer". In a Klingon wedding, the Tawi'Yan was their equivalent of Earth's best man.
Alexander Rozhenko acted as the Tawi'Yan in his father Worf's wedding to Jadzia Dax in 2374. (DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited")
Tawi'Yan appears to be a Klingon language word developed for the episode. However, it contains a root word from Marc Okrand's tlhIngan Hol language developed for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, "yan", meaning both the noun "sword" and the verb "to wield". In Okrandian Klingonese, it would more correctly be spelled tawI'yan.
External link[]
- Tawi'Yan at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works