| 1 | English | was | first-person singular simple past indicative of... |
| 2 | Middle English | was | First and third-person singular past indicative... |
| 3 | Old English | wæs | first/third-person singular preterite of bēon;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | was | first/third-person singular past active... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wes- | to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night |