Where does “was” come from?

was (Old Dutch) comes from Proto-Germanic was, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes- — to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night.

Ancestry of “was”, step by step

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

Words derived from “was”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes- →Every word from Proto-Germanic was →