• Was

    Pronunciation (in the phrase "I was there")

    stressed
    • UK enPR: wŏz, IPA: /wÉ’z/
    • US enPR: wÅ­z, IPA: /wÊŒz/, IPA: /wÉ‘z/
    • Rhymes: -É’z
    unstressed
    • enPR: wÉ™z, IPA: /wÉ™z/

    Origin

    From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, (compare Scots was, Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- ("to reside"). 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 *bʰew- ("to become"). The words 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").

    Verb

    1. Form of First-person singular simple past tense indicative.
    2. Form of Third-person singular simple past tense indicative.
    3. (proscribed, dialect) Form of Second-person singular simple past tense indicative.
      • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Poison Belt"Was you outside the Bank of England, sir?"
    4. (colloquial) Form of Second person plural simple past tense
      • 2001, Darrel Rachel, The Magnolias Still Bloom (page 104)“What happened here, Hadley?” the chief asked. “We was robbed, damn it, we was robbed.”

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