kind of quince
櫚 refers to a specific kind of quince tree or its fruit. Its meaning is narrow and botanical, without broader abstract extensions.
櫚 combines 木 (tree) with 閭, which likely contributes the sound. The character was created to name a specific tree, but the detailed historical development is uncertain.
A tree 木 with a gate-like shape 閭 on the right: imagine a quince tree growing beside a village gate, its fruit hanging over the entrance.
For ロ, picture a row of quince trees lining a path: row -> ロ, and each tree is a 櫚.
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