Triliteral roots

The triliteral root system refers to a system of encoding or discovering esoteric meaning within words based on the three main consonants of which the word is primarily made up. This system is important to Arabic mysticism and also within the Kabalah. For example, the coronation robe of King Roger II of Sicily (I don't know why there was a sicilian king named Roger either) has as its central motif a palm tree, for which the root is NKHL, which means "a fine essence descending impalpably" (such as baraka or blessedness). The word for royal palm is tariqat which is the Sufi term for "being on the path." The triliteral root is broken down as follows:

TaRQ = the sound of a musical instrument

TaTaRRaQ li = to aim at, to wish, to draw near to

aTRaQ = to remain silent with downcast eyes

TaRRaQ li = to open the way to

TaRaQ = to come to a person by night

TuRQaT = way, road; method, habit

TaRiQat = lofty palm tree

TaRiQA = path or way of Sufism

So the single word embodied by the symbol of the palm tree can be taken to sum up the meanings of hearing a distant harmonious sound, longing to draw closer to it, humbly yearning for it, opening the way, inspiration or teachings which come by night, and following the way of Sufi teaching which will bring one closer to that distant, harmonious sound.

(Arabic roots from Idries Shah's The Sufis, pg. 448; subsequent interpretation my own. --entitything)