Appendix:Arabic patterns
In Arabic, many words are formed by placing Category:Arabic roots into patterns of vowels and consonants. These are called أَوْزَان (ʔawzān), singular وَزْن (wazn). Patterns from three-letter roots are described using ف ع ل (f ʕ l), the root of the verb فَعَلَ (faʕala, “to do”). Patterns from four-letter roots are described with the root ف ع ل ق (f ʕ l q), which is formed by adding the consonant ق (q) to the root ف ع ل (f ʕ l), and has no meaning.