v.
did not exist, did not live, did not occupy a position, did not exist in a particular condition; negated form of the first and third person singular past tense form of "be"
In traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. This often is a result of a common sequence of words, or, as in French, to maintain a flowing sound. However, contraction has gained a broader meaning both in linguistics and other areas of language research. Based on the latest definitions, contraction is shortening of a word, syllable, or word group by omission of internal letters. [ISO 4:1984]
See more at Wikipedia.org...