The Bizarre Origins of "Weird" The adjective "weird" has an unexpected etymology: it originally comes from a term meaning "angry.
" This unusual path is a reminder that language is not fixed or static, but rather dynamic and evolving. In Old English, the word for "weird" was "wyrd," referring to fate or destiny.
However, linguists have noted that "wyrd" shares a common ancestor with another Old English word, "wræc," meaning "angry.