was

Meaning

first-person singular simple past indicative of be.
third-person singular simple past indicative of be.
(colloquial) Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
second-person singular simple past indicative of be; were.
(colloquial) first-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.
(colloquial) third-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/wɒz/

Etymology

From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, (compare Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e (compare Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास (uvā́sa)), from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. The paradigm of “to be” has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form be is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become”). The forms is and are are both derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with w- such as was and were are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).

Cognate with Dutch

was

Cognate with German

war

New

be

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