was

was

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Washo.

• wus, wuz

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 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”).

• (UK)
  • (weak form) enPR: wəz, IPA^(key): /wəz/
  • (strong form) enPR: wŏz, wŭz, IPA^(key): /wɒz/, /wʌz/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US)
  • (weak form) enPR: wəz, IPA^(key): /wəz/
  • (strong form) enPR: wŭz, wŏz, IPA^(key): /wʌz/, /wɑz/

  • Audio (US); “I was there”:

    (file)

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Canada)
  • (strong form) IPA^(key): /wʌz/, [wəz]
    • (dialectal) IPA^(key): /wɒz/, [wɔ(ː)z]
• (General Australian)
  • (strong form) enPR: wŏz, IPA^(key): /wɔz/
• (New Zealand)
  • (strong form) enPR: wŏz, wŭz, IPA^(key): /wɒz/, /wʌz/
• (Early Modern)
  • (strong form) IPA^(key): /wæz/, /wæs/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɒz, -ʌz

was

1. first-person singular simple past indicative of be.

   I was castigated and scorned.

2. third-person singular simple past indicative of be.

   It was a really humongous slice of cake.

   • 1915, John Millington Synge, The Playboy of the Western World, section I:

     I killed my poor father, Tuesday was a week, for doing the like of that.

   • 1996 August 1, George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire; 1), HarperCollins, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 16:

     He saw it clear enough, now that the lordling had pointed it out. “They couldn't have froze. Not if the Wall was weeping. It wasn't cold enough."

3. (now colloquial) Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.

   There was three of them there.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Gen 40:17:

     And in the vppermoſt baſket there was of all maner of †bake-meats foꝛ Pharaoh,and the birds did eat them out of the baſket vpon my head.

4. (now colloquial or nonstandard, African-American Vernacular) second-person singular simple past indicative of be; were.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXXIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC:

     You was pleased to cast a favourable eye upon me.

   • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "Was you outside the Bank of England, sir?"

5. (colloquial, nonstandard) first-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.
   • 2001, Darrel Rachel, The Magnolias Still Bloom, page 104:

     “What happened here, Hadley?” the chief asked. “We was robbed, damn it, we was robbed.”

6. (colloquial, nonstandard, African-American Vernacular) third-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.
   • 1968, Etta James, Ellington Jordan, Billy Foster, “I'd Rather Go Blind”, performed by Etta James:

     When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips now baby / Revealed the tears that was on my face, yeah

   • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 24:

     Take or be taken. Get yours or get got. It was the code of the streets and I'd lived by it. The way things was looking, I was prolly gone die by it too.

• If I Was or If I Were: Easy Guide on Appropriate Use, grammar.yourdictionary.com
• When to use "If I was" vs. "If I were"?, english.stackexchange.com
• “if I were you, if I was you”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.

• ASW, AWS, SAW, Saw, aws, saw

• Audio:

  (file)

was (uncountable)

1. wax

was

1. past of wees

was (present was, present participle wassende, past participle gewas)

1. to wash

was

1. water

• "Elat, Kei Besar" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Other scripts

Latin		was
Ge'ez		ዋስ (was)

From Proto-Agaw *was-, from Proto-Cushitic *waz-, from Proto-Afroasiatic *Hʷaǯ- (“to hear”). Cognate with Qimant was.

was

1. to hear

• Reinisch, L. (1887). Die Blin-Sprache. (In German), page 362

Slang variant of wala

was

1. (slang, informal) nothing; none

was

1. (informal) absent

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑs

From Middle Dutch was, from Old Dutch was, from Proto-Germanic *was. Cognate with English was.

was

1. singular past indicative of zijn
2. singular past indicative of wezen

From Middle Dutch wassche (14th c.). By surface analysis, deverbal from wassen (“to wash”). Compare German Wäsche, English wash.

• wasch (obsolete spelling)

was m (plural wassen, diminutive wasje n)

1. wash, washing, laundry (act of cleaning with water)

   Na de was moet ik mijn overhemden strijken. ― After washing I need to iron my shirts.

2. laundry (clothes that need to be or have just been washed)

   Kun je de was uit de machine halen? ― Could you remove the laundry from the machine?

• Negerhollands: wasch, was

From Middle Dutch was, from Old Dutch was, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą. Cognate with German Wachs, English wax, Danish voks, Swedish vax.

was m or n (plural wassen, no diminutive)

1. wax

   wat was was voordat was was was?

   what was wax ere wax were wax?

From Middle Dutch was, deverbal from wassen (“to grow”).

was m (plural wassen, no diminutive)

1. growth

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

was

1. inflection of wassen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

• swa

• wat (colloquial in western and parts of northern Germany)

From Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Dutch wat, Low German wat, English what, Danish hvad, Icelandic hvað.

• IPA^(key): /vas/ (standard)

  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)); [väs ~ ʋäs]:

    (file)

  • Audio (Germany); [väs]:

    (file)

• IPA^(key): /vaːs/ (parts of southern Germany, when stressed)

  • Audio (Bavaria, dialect-near); [ʋɒːs]:

    (file)

• Rhymes: -as

was

1. (interrogative) what

   Was machst du heute?

   What are you doing today?

2. (relative) which; referring to the entire preceding clause

   Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte.

   She was a good dancer, which he admired.

3. (relative) that, which; referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives

   Das ist alles, was ich weiß.

   That's all that I know.

   Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte.

   That's the best that could have happened to me.

4. (relative, colloquial) that, which; referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das

   Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird?

   Do you see that white house, which is being renovated?

5. (indefinite, colloquial) something, anything; instead of standard etwas

   Ich hab was gefunden.

   I've found something.

   • 2017, Simone Meier, Fleisch, Kein & Aber, published 2018, page 39:

     Er wollte Anna was antun.

     He wanted to do something to Anna.

• Was is colloquially used with prepositions, chiefly but not exclusively in southern regions. Otherwise it is generally replaced with a pronominal adverb containing wo- (or in a few cases wes-). Hence: Womit hast du das gemacht? (“With what did you do that?”), instead of Mit was hast du das gemacht?, and weswegen instead of wegen was.
• The genitive case, and the dative case if necessary for clearness, can be paraphrased by means of welcher Sache (“what thing”). Possessive genitives are more commonly paraphrased with wovon (“of what”). It is also possible to use the genitive form wessen, but it wouldn't be used in questions such as Wessen ist das? because here it would be understood as the genitive form of wer.
• The colloquial was meaning "something" can only be the first word in a sentence if followed by an adjective: Was Wichtiges fehlt noch. (“Something important is missing.”) Otherwise the full form etwas must be used: Etwas fehlt noch. (“Something is missing.”) The reason for this is that the latter sentence could be misinterpreted as a question if was were used.

Declension of was
nominative	was
genitive	wessen or (dated) wes
dative	—
accusative	was

was

1. (archaic) what; what kind of

   Synonym: was für (ein)

   • 1718, Johann Caspar Schwartz, Johann Caspar Schwartzens Fünfftes Dutzend Wund-artzneyischer Anmerckungen von vielerley Arten der Geschwülste und Geschwüre, Hamburg, page 97:

     [...] denen Thieren und Gewächsen aber, von was Arten und Geschlechten selbige auch nur immer seyn mögen, [...]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1742, Johann Christoph Gottsched, Versuch einer Critischen Dichtkunst, Leipzig, page 442:

     Held August, du kühner Krieger! / Du bist der beglückte Sieger, / Vor, und in, und nach dem Fall. / Auf was Arten, auf was Weisen, / Soll man deine Thaten preisen / Hier und da, und überall?

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1786, Johann Michael Schosulan, Gründlicher Unterricht für das Landvolk: Wie und auf was Weise jedermann seinen etrunkenen, erhängten, erstickten, erfrornen, von Hitze verschmachteten und von Blitz berührten unglücklichen Nebenmenschen Hülfe leisten, der Retter aber für sein eigenes Leben sich selbst sicher stellen solle., Wien, title:

     Wie und auf was Weise jedermann seinen [...] Nebenmenschen Hülfe leisten [...] solle.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• In Early Modern German, the inflected forms wasem (dative masculine and neuter) and waser (dative and genitive feminine) occurred.

was

1. (colloquial) clipping of etwas

   Ich komm was später.

   I'll arrive a little later.

2. (interrogative, chiefly colloquial or poetic) why, what for; often expressing a personal concern about the matter

   Synonyms: warum, wieso, weshalb

   Was bist du heute so stumm?

   Why are you so silent today?

   Was kuckt der hier so komisch rüber?

   Why’s that guy looking over here so strangely?

   Was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?

   Why are you hiding your face so fearfully?

was

1. romanization of 𐍅𐌰𐍃

was

1. bear

From Middle High German waʒ, from Old High German waʒ.

• IPA^(key): /vas/

was

1. (interrogative) what

   Was machst-du?

   What are you doing?

2. (relative) what

   Was-ich net esse, essd de Hund.

   What I don't eat, the dog eats.

3. (indefinite) something, anything

   Noch was?

   Anything else?

• etwas

• Boll, Piter Kehoma (2021), “was”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português, 3rd edition (overall work in Portuguese), Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch

was

1. romanization of ꦮꦱ꧀

was

1. first-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
2. third-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
3. apocopated form of wasse (“wash”), second-person singular imperative of wassen (mainly used in the Netherlands, equivalent to other dialects' wasche/waske)
4. apocopated form of wasse (“wax”), second-person singular imperative of wassen
5. apocopated form of wasse (“grow”), second-person singular imperative of wassen

Notes on the verb węsen (to be): In recent times (~1800) the old subjunctive wer is used in place of was by many speakers. This might be the old subjunctive which is now used as a preterite or a reduction of weren, which is the preterite plural indicative of the verb. It might also be an imitation of the High German cognate war. Many smaller dialectal clusters do this, but no dialect does it. That means: even though there are many regions within e.g. Lower Saxony that use wer for was, maybe even the majority, there is no straight connection between them, i.e. which form is used can depend on preference, speaker and specific region. Due to this "one town this way, one town that way"-nature of the situation no form can be named "standard" for a greater dialect, such as Low Saxon.

• IPA^(key): [was]

was

1. genitive of wy
2. accusative of wy
3. locative of wy

was

1. water
2. stream, river

• Smith, Ethnogeography of the Mayangna of Nicaragua, in Ethno- and historical geographic studies in Latin America: essays honoring William V. Davidson (2008), page 88: The location of 46 settlements from this list containing the term ”was" —meaning "water" or "stream" — were obtained[.]

From Old Dutch was, from Proto-Germanic *was. Cognate with English was.

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of wēsen

From Old Dutch was, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą. Cognate with English wax.

was n

1. wax

From wassen (“to grow”).

was m

1. growth

From Old English wæs (first/third person singular indicative past of wesan), from Proto-Germanic *was (first/third person singular indicative past of *wesaną).

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of been
   • c. 1375, “Book VI”, in Iohne Barbour, De geſtis bellis et uirtutibus domini Roberti de Brwyß […] (The Brus, Advocates MS. 19.2.2)‎^[2], Ouchtirmunsye: Iohannes Ramsay, published 1489, folio 21, recto, lines 431-434; republished at Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland, c. 2010:

     Thyꝛwall þ[at] was þ[air] capitain / Wes þ[air] in þe baꝛgain slain / ⁊ off his men þe maſt p[ar]ty / Ϸe laue fled full affrayitly

     Thirlwall, who was their commander / was killed there in the struggle / with the greatest part of his men; / the rest fled very frightened.

2. (dialectal) second-person singular past indicative of been
3. (dialectal) plural past indicative of been

• English: was
• Scots: was, wis
• Yola: waas, was, waz, 'as, as (after Ich)

was

1. alternative form of whos (“whose”, genitive)

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈwas̠/

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of sīn / wësen

• wass

was

1. first/third-person singular preterite indicative of wēsen

• wes — Mercian
• wæs

was (Northumbrian)

1. first/third-person singular preterite of bēon
2. first/third-person singular preterite of wesan

• uuas, ƿas — Manuscript spelling

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of wesan

• IPA^(key): /was/
• Rhymes: -was
• Homophone: wās
• Hyphenation: was

was

1. alternative spelling of wās (“clear”)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

was

1. name of a day in the six-day week

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

was

1. emphatic or descriptive particle

• "was" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat.

Compare German was, Dutch wat, English what.

was

1. (interrogative) what

• IPA^(key): /ˈvas/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: was

was

1. genitive/accusative/locative of wy

was

1. romanization of ᚹᚨᛊ

was

1. plural of wa

From French ouest.

was

1. west

• D'Offay, Danielle; Lionnet, Guy (1982), Diksyonner kreol-franse [Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Hamburg: Buske, →ISBN

was

1. fuck

• → English: wass

From WhatsApp.

was m (plural was)

1. a message sent or received over WhatsApp

• waz
• wis, wiz
• wit, wititit

From wa (contraction of wala) +‎ -s, possibly as analogy for English has.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈwas/ [ˈwas]
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: was

was (Baybayin spelling ᜏᜐ᜔) (gay slang)

1. nothing; none

   Synonyms: wala, (gay slang) waley

• Zorc, R. David; San Miguel, Rachel (1993), Tagalog Slang Dictionary, Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN, page 155

From English watch.

was

1. angel; any supernatural creature in heaven according to Christian theology
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:24:

     God i rausim pinis man na meri, na em i makim ol strongpela ensel bilong sanap na was i stap long hap sankamap bilong gaden Iden. Na tu em i putim wanpela bainat i gat paia i lait long en na i save tanim tanim long olgeta hap. Oltaim ol dispela ensel wantaim dispela bainat i save was i stap, nogut wanpela man i go klostu long dispela diwai bilong givim laip.

     →New International Version translation

• IPA^(key): /waːs/

was

1. soft mutation of gwas

was

1. alternative form of waas (“was”)
   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 84:

     At by mizluck was ee-pit t'drive in.

     Who by misluck was placed to drive in.

   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 84:

     Zitch blakeen, an blayeen, fan ee ball was ee-drowe!

     Such bawling and shouting, when the ball was thrown!

   • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 94:

     Aar was a weddeen ee Ballymore,

     There was a wedding in Ballymore,

2. alternative form of waas (“were”)
   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 84:

     Joud an moud vrem earchee ete was ee Lough.

     Throngs and crowds from each quarter were at the Lough;

   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 5, page 86:

     Mot w'all aar boust, hi soon was ee-teight

     But with all their bravado they were soon taught

   • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 93:

     Aar was pizzeen, an beanès, an barich amang.

     There were pease and beans, and barley-mung.

   • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 93:

     Aar was bidaades an heereen.

     There were potatoes and herrings;

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867