was

was · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    First and third person singular past tense of "be."

  2. 2.

    Used to indicate a state or condition in the past.

  3. 3.

    Used in the passive voice to describe past actions.

  4. 4.

    Used in conditional sentences (subjunctive, sometimes considered archaic or formal).

Related words

See also: be, been, is, were

Etymology

From Old English "waes," first and third person singular past indicative of "beon" (to be). From Proto-Germanic "was," from Proto-Indo-European "h2wes-" meaning "to remain, dwell." The irregularity of "be" conjugations in English reflects the merger of three different Proto-Indo-European roots.