"Weird" is a weird word

# Summary The word "weird" has dramatically shifted in meaning over a thousand years. Originally derived from the Old English word "wyrd," meaning fate or destiny, it was a weighty term used in poetry to describe the inexorable forces of the universe that heroes had to face without flinching. Today, it's a casual everyday word used to describe minor oddities like strange smells or unusual coincidences, a transformation that began during the Middle English period following the Norman Conquest of 1066.