For those who frequent the pages of Gemara or any halachic work, you may have encountered the word "פלגש," commonly translated as "concubine." Where does this word come from?
Many are of the impression that it is a combination of the Aramaic word "פלג - half" and the Hebrew word "אשה - woman/wife." The simple connotation is that such a woman is not a "full" wife, but only "half" a wife (for various reasons: either because she does not receive a kesubah or because she is not intended for procreation, see references.)
In a similar vein, albeit slightly different, the Malbim explains that the word is really "פלג" half, and the extra "ש" is a common linguistic phenomenon where an extra letter is added at the end of the word (like "ערפל" from "ערף" or "שקערורות" from "שקע," etc.)
שפתי חכמים לרש"י בראשית כה, ו אות ר
מלבי"ם "התורה והמצוה" לספרא אות פט
ועי' חומש "תורה מאירה" (לר' מאיר מאירי) בראשית כב, כד בשם ר' וואלף הידנהימר
ועי' שאלת יעב"ץ ח"ב ריש סי' ט"ו
See here
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