English

was

/wəz/
Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.

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    Origin

    From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal.

    See also Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var); also Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास (uvā́sa).

    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 and its derived forms been and being are from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become”). The present-tense indicative forms am, 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”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishwas
      • inheritedOld Englishwæs
        • inheritedProto-Germanic*was
          • derivedProto-Indo-European*h₂we-h₂wós-e
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*h₂wes- “to reside”

    Related: Scots was, West Frisian was, Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var, Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास

    Words built on it: the

    Sources