Was die in der KategorieENGLISH - ETYMOLOGY
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English - Etymology
From Middle English _was_, from Old English _wæs_, from Proto-Germanic _*was_, (compare Scots _was_, Dutch _was_, Low German _was_, German _war_, Swedish _var_), from Proto-Indo-European _*h₂wes-_ (“to reside”). The paradigm of "to be" has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form _be_ is from Proto-Indo-European _*bʰew-_ (“to become”). The words _is_ and _are_ are both derived from Proto-Indo-European _*h₁es-_ (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with _w-_ such as _was_ and _were_ are from Proto-Indo-European _*h₂wes-_ (“to reside”).
From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, (compare Scots was, Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”). The paradigm of "to be" has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form be is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to become”). The words is and are are both derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with w- such as was and were
are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).
Was die in der KategorieENGLISH - PRONUNCIATION
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English - Pronunciation
STRESSED
* (UK) enPR: wŏz, wŭz, IPA(key): /wɒz/, /wʌz/
* (US) enPR: wŭz, wŏz, IPA(key): /wʌz/, wɑz/
* Rhymes: -ʌz, -ɒz
UNSTRESSED
* (UK, US) enPR: wəz, IPA(key): /wəz/
* (in the phrase "I was there")
stressed
unstressed
Was die in der KategorieENGLISH - VERB
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English - Verb
WAS
* First-person singular simple past tense indicative of _be_.
* Third-person singular simple past tense indicative of _be_.
* (proscribed, dialect) Second-person singular simple past tense indicative of _be_.
* 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, _The Poison Belt_
"WAS you outside the Bank of England, sir?"
* (colloquial) Second person plural simple past tense of _be_
* 2001, Darrel Rachel, _The Magnolias Still Bloom_ (page 104)
“What happened here, Hadley?” the chief asked. “We WAS robbed, damn it, we was robbed.”
DERIVED TERMS
* wasband
* wasbian
SEE ALSO
was
-
First-person singular simple past tense indicative of be.
-
Third-person singular simple past tense indicative of be.
-
(proscribed, dialect) Second-person singular simple past tense indicative of be.
-
(colloquial) Second person plural simple past tense of be
Was die in der KategorieENGLISH - ANAGRAMS
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English - Anagrams
* ASW
* saw, SAW
Was die in der KategorieAFRIKAANS - NOUN
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Was die in der KategorieAFRIKAANS - VERB
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Was die in der KategorieDUTCH - PRONUNCIATION
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Dutch - Pronunciation
* IPA(key): /ʋɑs/
* Rhymes: -ɑs
-
IPA(key): /ʋɑs/
- Rhymes: -ɑs
Was die in der KategorieDUTCH - ETYMOLOGY 1
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Was die in der KategorieDUTCH - ETYMOLOGY 2
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Dutch - Etymology 2
From Old Dutch _*was_, from Proto-Germanic _*wahsą_. Cognate with German _Wachs_, English _wax_, Danish _voks_, Swedish _vax_.
NOUN
WAS m, n (_plural_ WASSEN)
* wax
* growth
VERB
WAS
* first-person singular present indicative of _wassen_
* imperative of _wassen_
DERIVED TERMS
* bijenwas
* gewas n
* uitwas
* uit de kluiten gewassen
From Old Dutch *was, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą. Cognate with German Wachs, English wax, Danish voks, Swedish vax.
was m, n (plural wassen)
-
wax
-
growth
was
-
first-person singular present indicative of wassen
-
imperative of wassen
Was die in der KategorieDUTCH - ETYMOLOGY 3
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Was die in der KategorieDUTCH - ANAGRAMS
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Was die in der KategorieGERMAN - ALTERNATIVE FORMS
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German - Alternative Forms
* wat (colloquial in western and parts of northern Germany)
Was die in der KategorieGERMAN - ETYMOLOGY
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German - Etymology
From Old High German _(h)waz_, originally *_(h)wat_, from Proto-Germanic _*hwat_, from Proto-Indo-European _*kʷos_, _*kʷod_, compare Dutch _wat_, English _what_, Danish _hvad_.
From Old High German (h)waz, originally *(h)wat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷod, compare Dutch wat, English what, Danish hvad.
Was die in der KategorieGERMAN - PRONUNCIATION
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German - Pronunciation
* IPA(key): /vas/
* Rhymes: -as
-
IPA(key): /vas/
- Rhymes: -as
Was die in der KategorieGERMAN - PRONOUN
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German - Pronoun
WAS
* (interrogative) what
_WAS machst du heute?_
What are you doing today?
* (relative) which (referring to the entire preceding clause)
_Sie tanzte gut, WAS er bewunderte._
She was a good dancer, which he admired.
* (relative) that, which (referring to _das_, _alles_, _etwas_, _nichts_, and neuter substantival adjectives)
_Das ist alles, WAS ich will._
That's all that I want.
_Das ist das Beste, WAS mir passieren konnte._
That's the best that could have happened to me.
* (relative, colloquial) that, which (referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard _das_)
_Siehst du das weiße Haus, WAS renoviert wird?_
Do you see that white house, which is being renovated?
* (indefinite, colloquial) something, anything (instead of standard _etwas_)
_Ich hab WAS gefunden._
I've found something.
USAGE NOTES
* _Was_ is invariable. The genitive case, and the dative case if necessary for clearness, can be paraphrased by means of _welcher_ _Sache_ (“what thing”). Possessive genitives are more commonly paraphrased with _wovon_ (“of what”).
* The colloquial _was_ meaning "something" can only be the first word in a sentence if followed by an adjective: _Was Wichtiges fehlt noch._ – "Something important is missing." Otherwise the full form _etwas_ must be used: _Etwas fehlt noch._ – "Something is missing." The reason for this is that the latter sentence could be misinterpreted as a question if _was_ were used.
* _Was_ is not commonly used with prepositions. It is replaced with pronominal adverbs containing _wo-_. Hence: _WOmit hast du das gemacht?_ – "With what did you do that?" Colloquially, this rule is occasionally disregarded: _Mit was hast du das gemacht?_.
DERIVED TERMS
* was für
was
-
(interrogative) what
-
Was machst du heute?
-
What are you doing today?
-
(relative) which (referring to the entire preceding clause)
-
Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte.
-
She was a good dancer, which he admired.
-
(relative) that, which (referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives)
-
Das ist alles, was ich will.
-
That's all that I want.
-
Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte.
-
That's the best that could have happened to me.
-
(relative, colloquial) that, which (referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das)
-
Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird?
-
Do you see that white house, which is being renovated?
-
(indefinite, colloquial) something, anything (instead of standard etwas)
-
Ich hab was gefunden.
-
I've found something.
Was die in der KategorieGERMAN - ADVERB
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Was die in der KategorieGOTHIC - ROMANIZATION
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Was die in der KategorieGROS VENTRE - NOUN
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Gros Ventre - Noun
WAS
* bear
was
-
bear
Was die in der KategorieLOW GERMAN - VERB
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Low German - Verb
WAS
* first-person singular simple past indicative of _węsen_
* third-person singular simple past indicative of _węsen_
* apocopated form of _wasse_ (“wash”), second-person singular imperative of _wassen_ (mainly used in the Netherlands, equivalent to other dialects' wasche/waske)
* apocopated form of _wasse_ (“wax”), second-person singular imperative of _wassen_
* apocopated form of _wasse_ (“grow”), second-person singular imperative of _wassen_
USAGE NOTES
Notes on the verb _węsen_ (to be): In recent times (~1800) the old subjunctive _wer_ is used in place of _was_ by many speakers. This might be the old subjunctive which is now used as a preterite or a reduction of _weren_, which is the preterite plural indicative of the verb. It might also be an imitation of the High German cognate _war_. Many smaller dialectal clusters do this, but no dialect does it. That means: even though there are many regions within e.g. Lower Saxony that use _wer_ for _was_, maybe even the majority, there is no straight connection between them, i.e. which form is used can depend on preference, speaker and specific region. Due to this "one town this way, one town that way"-nature of the situation no form can be named "standard" for a greater dialect, such as Low Saxon.
was
-
first-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
-
third-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
-
apocopated form of wasse (“wash”), second-person singular imperative of wassen
(mainly used in the Netherlands, equivalent to other dialects' wasche/waske)
-
apocopated form of wasse (“wax”), second-person singular imperative of wassen
-
apocopated form of wasse (“grow”), second-person singular imperative of wassen
Notes on the verb węsen (to be): In recent times (~1800) the old subjunctive wer is used in place of was by many speakers. This might be the old subjunctive which is now used as a preterite or a reduction of weren, which is the preterite plural indicative of the verb. It might also be an imitation of the High German cognate war. Many smaller dialectal clusters do this, but no dialect does it. That means: even though there are many regions within e.g. Lower Saxony that use wer for was, maybe even the majority, there is no straight connection between them, i.e. which form is used can depend on preference, speaker and specific region. Due to this "one town this way, one town that way"-nature of the situation no form can be named "standard" for a greater dialect, such as Low Saxon.
Was die in der KategorieLOWER SORBIAN - PRONUNCIATION
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Lower Sorbian - Pronunciation
* IPA(key): [was]
Was die in der KategorieLOWER SORBIAN - PRONOUN
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Was die in der KategorieMAYANGNA - NOUN
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Was die in der KategoriePOLISH - PRONUNCIATION
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Polish - Pronunciation
* IPA(key): [vas̪]
Was die in der KategoriePOLISH - PRONOUN
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Was die in der KategorieSCOTS - NOUN
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Was die in der KategorieTOK PISIN - ETYMOLOGY
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Was die in der KategorieTOK PISIN - VERB
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Tok Pisin - Verb
WAS
* angel; any supernatural creature in heaven according to Christian theology
* 1989, _Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin_, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:24 (translation here):
God i rausim pinis man na meri, na em i makim ol strongpela ensel bilong sanap na WAS i stap long hap sankamap bilong gaden Iden. Na tu em i putim wanpela bainat i gat paia i lait long en na i save tanim tanim long olgeta hap. Oltaim ol dispela ensel wantaim dispela bainat i save WAS i stap, nogut wanpela man i go klostu long dispela diwai bilong givim laip.
was
- angel; any supernatural creature in
heaven according to Christian theology