This is the 42nd most frequent Russian word.
была
"Была" means "was" (feminine past tense of "to be").
In this sentence, 'была' conveys an existential past tense, meaning 'there was,' and it introduces the existence of the noun 'деревня' (a village).
Была когда-то маленькая деревня здесь.
There used to be a small village here.
'Была' functions here as the past feminine singular form of 'быть' indicating occupation, matching the subject pronoun 'она' (she).
Она была врачом в прошлом.
She was a doctor in the past.
Here, 'была' is used as the past feminine singular form of the verb 'быть,' meaning 'was,' agreeing with the feminine noun 'погода.'