GR 1227          PALLAKIS

H 0691            ש ג ל פ

Concept of root : concubine

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ש ג ל פ

pilegesh

concubine

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ש ג ל פ

pilegesh

concubine

p . l . g sh

Latin

pelex, paelex

pelex

concubine

p . l . k

Greek

παλλακις

pallakis

concubine

p . l . k .

 

 

Hebrew PILEGÈSH < *PALEQ Proto-Semitic --- *PĀLĀK Indo-European

 

 

This similarity is strong, but it is not so easy to define a common origin. We will see hereunder.

 

 

Note:
  • Latin "paelex, pelex, pellex" comes from Greek . If we recall French "filles" we know that this simply means "girls" or "daughters", but is often used and understood as "women of easy custom". Something like this we see in Greek:

 

Note:
  • Greek has "παλλαξ , pallax = adolescent boy". The neuter noun "παλλακιον , pallakion" stands for adolescent boy or girl. But "παλλακη , pallakè" and "παλλακις , pallakis" are "concubine" and sometimes as well "pallax" was used in this sense. Here the origin of the words is clear.

 

Note:
  • Greek and Hebrew. The Greek word "pallax" stands for "adolescent" or also "young man", but it characteristically refers to the outstanding merits of youth. These can be found as well in the Hebrew root " פ ל ה , P L (H)" that is found in the passive form "niphla" that means "to be excellent, chosen".

 

Note:
  • Hebrew "pilegesh" probably specifies the person who has been chosen, obviously for certain her special merits, to share the existence of an important man without having the blessing of marriage.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This word has its cognates in Aramaic " פ ל ק ת א, paleqetà = concubine" and Syriac " פ ל ק א, paleqà = concubine". It is unclear why Hebrew has " G " instead of " Q " as found in the other tongues. The root with " Q " may well have been in use in Proto-Semitic "* פ ל ק, P L Q". One may remark that the Semitic words are too distant from the Indo European ones to think of any loaning. In particular the use of the vowels "I" + "È" in Hebrew recalls intensified forms of actions otherwise expressed by "A" + "A" , though here the doubling of the intermediate consonant "L" is not found.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European probably had a form "P Ā L(L) Ā K- " to indicate persons of beauty and youth, that easily had a seducing influence. Besides Greek and the in this case not independent Latin words there is :

     

    Avestan, that changed "L" into "R" in "pairikā = beautiful woman, apt to seducing even priests".

     

    Old Irish, that abolished the initial "P" as more often, to have "airech = concubine".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 29/12/2012 at 9.59.31