"'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 language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with redundant sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with raw sortkeys",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1779, John Newton, Amazing Grace",
          "text": "’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, / […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1823, perhaps Clement Clarke Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas",
          "text": "’Twas the night before Christmas, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "id": "en-'twas-en-contraction-JiGr3PHb",
      "links": [
        [
          "poetic",
          "poetic"
        ],
        [
          "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"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒz"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌz"
    },
    {
      "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",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "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 1-syllable words",
        "English aphetic forms",
        "English contractions",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English non-lemma forms",
        "English poetic terms",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with redundant sortkeys",
        "Pages with raw sortkeys",
        "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1823, perhaps Clement Clarke Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas",
          "text": "’Twas the night before Christmas, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Contraction of it was."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "poetic",
          "poetic"
        ],
        [
          "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"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒz"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌz"
    },
    {
      "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",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "'twas"
}