"были" meaning in Russian

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "бы́ли",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "býli",
      "tags": [
        "romanization"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "verb form",
        "head": "бы́ли"
      },
      "expansion": "бы́ли • (býli)",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Russian",
  "lang_code": "ru",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Russian Synodal Bible, Mark 3.14:"
        },
        {
          "english": "He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.",
          "roman": "I postavil iz nix dvenadcatʹ, štoby s Nim byli i štoby posylatʹ ix na propovedʹ…",
          "text": "И поставил из них двенадцать, чтобы с Ним были и чтобы посылать их на проповедь…",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "bytʹ",
          "word": "быть"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "plural past indicative imperfective of быть (bytʹ)"
      ],
      "id": "en-были-ru-verb-MDCvD~RZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "быть",
          "быть#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "imperfective",
        "indicative",
        "past",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈbɨlʲɪ]"
    }
  ],
  "word": "были"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "бы́ли",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "býli",
      "tags": [
        "romanization"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "noun form",
        "g": "f-in",
        "g2": "f-in-p",
        "head": "бы́ли"
      },
      "expansion": "бы́ли • (býli) f inan or f inan pl",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Russian",
  "lang_code": "ru",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "57 26 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 15 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "67 25 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Russian entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "(bylʹ):",
          "word": "быль"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "inflection of быль (bylʹ):",
        "genitive/dative/prepositional singular"
      ],
      "id": "en-были-ru-noun-m0AOwnk1",
      "links": [
        [
          "быль",
          "быль#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "form-of",
        "genitive",
        "prepositional",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "(bylʹ):",
          "word": "быль"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "inflection of быль (bylʹ):",
        "nominative/accusative plural"
      ],
      "id": "en-были-ru-noun-DT8nRayu",
      "links": [
        [
          "быль",
          "быль#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "form-of",
        "nominative",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈbɨlʲɪ]"
    }
  ],
  "word": "были"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Russian 2-syllable words",
    "Russian entries with incorrect language header",
    "Russian non-lemma forms",
    "Russian noun forms",
    "Russian terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "Russian verb forms"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "бы́ли",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "býli",
      "tags": [
        "romanization"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "verb form",
        "head": "бы́ли"
      },
      "expansion": "бы́ли • (býli)",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Russian",
  "lang_code": "ru",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Russian terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Russian Synodal Bible, Mark 3.14:"
        },
        {
          "english": "He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.",
          "roman": "I postavil iz nix dvenadcatʹ, štoby s Nim byli i štoby posylatʹ ix na propovedʹ…",
          "text": "И поставил из них двенадцать, чтобы с Ним были и чтобы посылать их на проповедь…",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "bytʹ",
          "word": "быть"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "plural past indicative imperfective of быть (bytʹ)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "быть",
          "быть#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "imperfective",
        "indicative",
        "past",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈbɨlʲɪ]"
    }
  ],
  "word": "были"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Russian 2-syllable words",
    "Russian entries with incorrect language header",
    "Russian non-lemma forms",
    "Russian noun forms",
    "Russian terms with IPA pronunciation"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "бы́ли",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "býli",
      "tags": [
        "romanization"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "noun form",
        "g": "f-in",
        "g2": "f-in-p",
        "head": "бы́ли"
      },
      "expansion": "бы́ли • (býli) f inan or f inan pl",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Russian",
  "lang_code": "ru",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "(bylʹ):",
          "word": "быль"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "inflection of быль (bylʹ):",
        "genitive/dative/prepositional singular"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "быль",
          "быль#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "form-of",
        "genitive",
        "prepositional",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form_of": [
        {
          "extra": "(bylʹ):",
          "word": "быль"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "inflection of быль (bylʹ):",
        "nominative/accusative plural"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "быль",
          "быль#Russian"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "form-of",
        "nominative",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈbɨlʲɪ]"
    }
  ],
  "word": "были"
}