was

af-verb

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

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


was

laundry, clothes that need to be washed, or just have been washed

nl-noun

was m (plural wassen, diminutive wasje n)

wassen (plural)
wasje (diminutive neuter)

Negerhollands: wasch, was


was

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


was

first-person singular present indicative

(in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.


was

I was castigated and scorned.

first-person singular simple past indicative of be.

It was a really humongous slice of cake.

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

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

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."

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

third-person singular simple past indicative of be.

There was three of them there.

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.

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

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

You was pleased to cast a favourable eye upon me.

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:

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

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

(now colloquial or nonstandard, African-American Vernacular) second-person singular simple past indicative of be; were.

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

2001, Darrel Rachel, The Magnolias Still Bloom, page 104:

(colloquial, nonstandard) first-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.

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

1968, Etta James, Ellington Jordan, Billy Foster (lyrics and music), “I'd Rather Go Blind”, performed by Etta James:

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.

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

(colloquial, nonstandard, African-American Vernacular) third-person plural simple past indicative of be; were.

From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, (compare Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e (compare Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास (uvā́sa)), from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. 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”).


was

Was machst du heute?

Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte.

She was a good dancer, which he admired.

(relative) which (referring to the entire preceding clause)

Das ist alles, was ich weiß.

Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte.

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

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

Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird?

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

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

Ich hab was gefunden.

Er wollte Anna was antun.

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

(indefinite, colloquial) something, anything (instead of standard etwas)

Was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?

Why on earth are you hiding your face so fearfully?

(interrogative, dated) why (with emphasis, astonishment or disapproval)

was der Bauer nicht kennt, das frisst er nicht

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Bavarian was, wås, Silesian East Central German woas (was), Dutch wat, English what, Danish hvad. Doublet of wat.

wat

in western and parts of northern Germany


was

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

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

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?

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

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

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:


was

Ich komm was später.

Was bist du heute so stumm?

(interrogative, colloquial) why, what for


was

Was machst-du?

Was-ich net esse, essd de Hund.

Noch was?

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod.


was

first-person singular simple past indicative of węsen

third-person singular simple past indicative of węsen

apocopated form of wasse (“wash”), second-person singular imperative of wassen (mainly used in the Netherlands, equivalent to other dialects' wasche/waske)

wasse

apocopated form of wasse (“wax”), second-person singular imperative of wassen

wasse

apocopated form of wasse (“grow”), second-person singular imperative of wassen


was

first/third-person singular past indicative of wēsen


was

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

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

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

first/third-person singular past indicative of been

(dialectal) second-person singular past indicative of been

(dialectal) plural past indicative of been

English: was

Scots: was, wis

desc

Yola: waas, was, waz, 'as, as (after Ich)

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

Alternative form of whos (“whose”, genitive)


was

first/third-person singular preterite indicative of wēsen


was

first/third-person singular preterite of bēon

first/third-person singular preterite of wesan


was

first/third-person singular past indicative of wesan


was

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat.
Compare German was, Dutch wat, English what.


was

first/third-person singular past active indicative of *wesaną

desctree

Old English: wæs, wes — Mercian, was, wæss, uæs, waes, ᚹᚫᛋ (wæs) — Ruthwell Cross
Middle English: was
English: was
Scots: was, wis
Yola: waas, was, waz, 'as, as (after Ich)

Old Frisian: was

North Frisian: wus, waos

Saterland Frisian: waas

West Frisian: was

Old Saxon: was

Middle Low German: was

Dutch Low Saxon: was

German Low German: was

Plautdietsch: was

Old Dutch: was

Dutch: was

Afrikaans: was

Limburgish: waas

Proto-Norse: ᚹᚨᛊ (was)

q

Old Norse: vas (early), var (-s replaced with -r by analogy to other inflections) (see there for further descendants)

Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐍃 (was)


was

accusative/genitive/dative plural of *túH (“you”)

Proto-Indo-Aryan: *was

Sanskrit: वस् (vas)

Proto-Iranian: *wah

Avestan: 𐬬𐬃 (vā̊), 𐬬𐬇 (və̄), 𐬬𐬋 (vō)

Kurdish:

Northern Kurdish: we

Central Kurdish: ئێوە (êwe)

Southern Kurdish: ئیوە (îwe)

From Proto-Indo-European *wos. Compare Proto-Italic *wōs.


was

→ English: wass


was

a message sent or received over WhatsApp


was

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.

1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:24:

angel; any supernatural creature in heaven according to Christian theology


was

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


was

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

1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 84:

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

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

Such bawling and shouting, when the ball was thrown!

Aar was a weddeen ee Ballymore,

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

Joud an moud vrem earchee ete was ee Lough.

Throngs and crowds from each quarter were at the Lough;

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

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

But with all their bravado they were soon taught

Aar was pizzeen, an beanès, an barich amang.

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

There were pease and beans, and barley-mung.

Aar was bidaades an heereen.