Meaning

noun a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific

verb have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

verb be identical to; be someone or something

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- Proto-Germanic *was Old English wæs Middle English was English was From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. See also Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0