Where does “was” come from?

was (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch wassen, from Old Dutch wassan, from Proto-West Germanic wahsan, from Proto-Germanic wahsijaną, from Indo-European *h₂weks-.

was (Middle Dutch): first/third-person singular past indicative of...

Definitions

  1. first/third-person singular past indicative of...

Ancestry of “was”, step by step

was traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Dutch wassen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchwassento grow, to wax; to increase
2Old Dutchwassanto grow, to wax; to rise in level
3Proto-West Germanicwahsanto grow
4Proto-Germanicwahsijanąto grow
5Indo-European*h₂weks-—

via Old Dutch was

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchwas—
2Proto-Germanicwasfirst/third-person singular past active...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wes-to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night

Words derived from “was”

Every word from Indo-European *h₂weks- →