Where does “była” come from?

była (Polish) comes from Polish były, from Old Polish były, from Albanian byc, from Proto-Slavic *byti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic bū́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.

Ancestry of “była”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Polishbyłyformer, previous
2Old Polishbyłypassed, undergone
3Albanianbycpimple, blemish
4Proto-Slavic*byti—
5Proto-Balto-Slavicbū́ˀteito be
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰuH-to become, grow, appear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic bū́ˀtei →Every word from Proto-Slavic *byti →