The words ish (אִישׁ) and isha (אִישָׁה) mean man and woman, respectively. They first appear in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 2:23, right after God has taken a rib from Adam, the first man, and used it to fashion Eve, the first woman. Upon seeing her, Adam names her as follows:
This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called the woman (isha),
For from the man (ish) was she taken.
The words ish and isha frequently have the connotation of husband and wife. A person may refer to their wife as ishti (“my woman”) and to their husband as ishi (“my man”).
The plural of these words is anashim, people. This word is frequently found, in its construct form, in the names of contemporary synagogues such as Anshe Chesed (People of Loving Kindness) or Anshe Emet (People of Truth). This plural form hints at an older form of the word ish, which is enosh.
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The words ish and isha can be combined with other nouns to describe people. For instance, in Deuteronomy 33:1, Moses is referred to as ish Elohim, a man of God. Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, warriors are called anshei milchamah, people of war.
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