Pronunciation : Was.
Etymology : [AS. w?s, 2d pers. w?re, 3d pers. w?s, pl. w?ron, with the inf. wesan to be; akin to D. wezen, imp. was, OHG. wesan, imp. was, G. wesen, n., a being, essence, war was, Icel. vera to be, imp. var, Goth. wisan to be, to dwell, to remain, imp. was, Skr. vas
Definition : Defn: The first and third persons singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, preterit (imperfect) tense; as, I was; he was.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913