The word "wast courteous" may seem like an odd spelling, but it is actually the archaic form of "were courteous" in Middle English. The pronunciation of this phrase can be broken down using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as /wɔst kʊrtiəs/. The "w" at the beginning is pronounced as the consonant sound /w/, while "ast" is pronounced as /əst/, similar to the modern English word "are". "Courteous" is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable and the vowel sound /ʊr/. This spelling serves as a reminder of the evolution of the English language over time.
The phrase wast courteous appears to be a combination of two words: wast and courteous.
1) Wast is the second person singular past form of the verb to be in Middle English. In modern English, it would be were.
2) Courteous is an adjective that means polite, well-mannered, or considerate. It originated from the Old French word curteis, which meant gentle or well-born.
Therefore, the etymology of wast courteous would be traced back to the Old French influence on the English language, combined with the Middle English form of the verb to be.