The term 'had existence' can BE expressed in two words: 'BEEN' and 'was'. The word 'BEEN' is a past participle of the verb 'BE', which is used to describe an action that has already happened. The word 'was' is the past tense of the verb 'BE', which is used to describe an action that has already taken place in the past. Together, these two words indicate that something had existed at some point in the past.