# was

> English word · Verb · IPA /wəz/ · frequency rank #16

## Definitions
1. first-person singular simple past indicative of be.
2. third-person singular simple past indicative of be.
3. Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
4. second-person singular simple past indicative of be; were.
5. first-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.
6. third-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-
Proto-Germanic *was
Old English wæs
Middle English was
English was
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **we** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-we)
- **wi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wi)
- **Wu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wu)
- **wo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wo)
- **WC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wc)
- **wt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wt)
- **WS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-ws)
- **WV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wv)
- **WD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wd)
- **WL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wl)
- **wy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wy)
- **WF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wf)
- **who** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-who)
- **way** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-way)
- **why** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-why)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-win)
- **won** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-won)
- **wow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wow)
- **web** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-web)
- **wet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/was-vs-wet)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/was