Three consonants carry one idea: bringing scattered things into one place. As a verb it is the act of collecting or assembling; as a noun it becomes the things gathered (a collection, a group), the place of gathering (a kibbutz), or the modern container where files are bundled. The leap from an ancient verb meaning "to assemble" to a computer file is the same root seen from a new angle. Every word here is verified against pealim, niqqud included.
The same root runs through the verb system. Each binyan is a voice: it bends the one idea into active, passive, causative or reciprocal. Tap to hear.
The pa'al form survives mainly in biblical and elevated registers; everyday Hebrew reaches for the pi'el lekabetz to collect things actively and the nif'al lehikavetz for people gathering of their own accord. The passive partners pu'al and huf'al and the reflexive hitpa'el are not lexicalized for this root.
Same root letters, different noun moulds (mishkalim). The mould tells you the function: who does it, the act of doing it, or the thing produced.
Strip the prefixes, suffixes and vowels. Three consonants remain, and the meaning lives there.