"'twas" meaning in English

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "’twasn’t"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "’twas",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "contraction",
        "head": "’twas"
      },
      "expansion": "’twas",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "’twas"
      },
      "expansion": "’twas",
      "name": "en-cont"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "contraction",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "it was"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1779, John Newton, Amazing Grace:",
          "text": "’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, / […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1823, perhaps Clement Clarke Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas:",
          "text": "’Twas the night before Christmas, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1871, Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky”, in Through the Looking-Glass:",
          "text": "’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; / […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:",
          "text": "'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 May 8, “Noble Knight Artorigus”, in Galactic Overlord, Konami:",
          "text": "’Twas the first of many feats so great,\nA legend through and through. We sing of him,\nArtorigus, the Noble and the brave.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "id": "en-'twas-en-contraction-JiGr3PHb",
      "links": [
        [
          "it",
          "it#English"
        ],
        [
          "was",
          "was#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic or poetic) Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "'twere"
        },
        {
          "word": "'tweren't"
        },
        {
          "word": "'tis"
        },
        {
          "word": "'tisn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twill"
        },
        {
          "word": "'tshall"
        },
        {
          "word": "it'll"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twon't"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twould"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twou'd"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twouldn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "'twou'dn't"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "archaic",
        "contraction",
        "poetic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/twɒz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation",
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/twʌz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-'twas.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/70/En-us-%27twas.ogg/En-us-%27twas.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/En-us-%27twas.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒz"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌz"
    }
  ],
  "word": "'twas"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "’twasn’t"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "’twas",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "contraction",
        "head": "’twas"
      },
      "expansion": "’twas",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "’twas"
      },
      "expansion": "’twas",
      "name": "en-cont"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "contraction",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "'twere"
    },
    {
      "word": "'tweren't"
    },
    {
      "word": "'tis"
    },
    {
      "word": "'tisn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twill"
    },
    {
      "word": "'tshall"
    },
    {
      "word": "it'll"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twon't"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twould"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twou'd"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twouldn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "'twou'dn't"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "it was"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English aphetic forms",
        "English contractions",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English non-lemma forms",
        "English poetic terms",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 2 entries",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Rhymes:English/ɒz",
        "Rhymes:English/ɒz/1 syllable",
        "Rhymes:English/ʌz",
        "Rhymes:English/ʌz/1 syllable"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1779, John Newton, Amazing Grace:",
          "text": "’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, / […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1823, perhaps Clement Clarke Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas:",
          "text": "’Twas the night before Christmas, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1871, Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky”, in Through the Looking-Glass:",
          "text": "’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; / […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:",
          "text": "'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 May 8, “Noble Knight Artorigus”, in Galactic Overlord, Konami:",
          "text": "’Twas the first of many feats so great,\nA legend through and through. We sing of him,\nArtorigus, the Noble and the brave.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "it",
          "it#English"
        ],
        [
          "was",
          "was#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic or poetic) Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "archaic",
        "contraction",
        "poetic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/twɒz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation",
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/twʌz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-'twas.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/70/En-us-%27twas.ogg/En-us-%27twas.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/En-us-%27twas.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒz"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌz"
    }
  ],
  "word": "'twas"
}