·Impf of Be.
II. Was ·v The first and third persons singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, preterit (imperfect) tense; as, I was; he was.
·- A contraction of it was. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
woe is me! Var. Dial. ...
A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose
- We learn from Holy Scripture that it was by the agency of the Spirit of God that the prophets rece...
William Smith's Bible Dictionary