The Was is the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stands for a word meaning power. In their 2004 book "The Quick and the Dead", Andrew H. Gordon and Calvin W. Schwabe speculated that the Ankh, Djed and Was symbols have a biological basis derived from ancient cattle culture, thus:

• the Ankh - symbol of life - thoracic vertebrae of a bull (seen in cross section)
• the Djed - symbol of stability - base or sacrum of a bull's spine
• the Was - symbol of power and dominion - a staff made from a dried bull's penis

Other meanings

• was is an English word. It is the past tense third- and first-person singular form of the verb "to be".

• "Was" is a short story in William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses.

• Was is a novel by Geoff Ryman and based on L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

• Was?? is the title of a composition by Folke Rabe.

• was (IPA: ) is German for what.

Ouas