also: ます
yodan verb with 'su' ending (archaic), intransitive verb
Archaic honorific verb for 'to be', used in classical Japanese to show respect toward the subject. Equivalent to modern いらっしゃる or おられる.
古事記に「ここに在す神」とある。
In the Kojiki, it says 'the god who is here'.
yodan verb with 'su' ending (archaic), intransitive verb
Archaic honorific verb for movement ('to go' or 'to come'), used to show respect toward the subject. Rare even in classical texts; context determines direction.
万葉集に「君が行きいます」という表現が見られる。
In the Man'yōshū, the expression 'you go/come' (honorific) appears.
Kana spelling for the reading います, useful for learners to recognize the pronunciation.
Alternate archaic kanji spelling; also rare.
Contracted reading; included for searchability. The modern polite auxiliary ます is unrelated.
The exact derivation is uncertain. It may be related to the classical honorific auxiliary す, but the historical development is not well-documented.