Weird Words Origins of these 35 Words Will Make Your Family Laugh

The word 'Lunatic' was derived from 'Lunaticus', which directly translates to 'moon-struck', since it was once thought that some mental illnesses were caused by a full moon.

2. The word Shampoo is derived from the Hindi word 'chāmpo' which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit root 'chapayati' meaning: "to press, knead and soothe."

3. The word robot originates from the Czech word "robotnik" which means "slave."

4. The word "bedlam", meaning chaos, is derived from the infamous Bedlam insane asylum established in 1247. It was notorious for its brutal treatment of the mentally ill, and for allowing fee paying spectators to watch the "bedlam."

5. The word "quisling", or a person who collaborates with an enemy occupying force, is derived from a man named Vidkun Quisling, who headed a domestic Nazi collaborationist regime in Norway during the World War 2. His name is now synonymous with the word "traitor."

The word "senate" is derived from the Latin "senex" which means "old man", making "senate" mean "the place of old men."

7. The medical term "stroke" originates from "The stroke of God's hand."

8. The name 'orchid' is derived from the greek word for 'testicle.'

9. The word "thug" originates from a murderous Indian cult that strangled travelers to death. The cult operated for over 500 years and may have killed millions of people.

10. The word "Gauze" is derived from Gaza because this ancient city was known for making very fine fabrics.

The name gorilla is derived from the Greek word ‘Gorillai’ meaning ‘a tribe of hairy women.’

12. The term ‘lord’ is derived from Old English 'hlaford', which roughly translates to ‘loaf guardian’. So a host (noble) handing out bread to his followers signified loyalty between the Anglo-Saxon lord and his warriors.

13. The word barbarian originates from Ancient Greeks impersonating Persian speech which they heard as sounding like "bar bar bar bar."

14. The word "darling" is derived from an old English term meaning "favorite minion."

15. The word "candidate" is derived from the Latin word "candidatus" which means "whitened". The word refers to the whitened togas that Romans wore specifically during election campaigns.

The term X-mas doesn't originate from the deletion or "x-ing" out of Christ like some people believe. The X is taken from the Greek word "Χριστός" or khristós (the anointed one).

17. 'Austria' is derived from the Latin word for 'Eastern', whereas 'Australia' is derived from the Latin word for 'Southern'.

18. The term “Chronic” (in relation to Marijuana) originates from Snoop Dogg mistaking the term “hydroponic” for “hydrochronic” when he was first introduced to indoor-grown marijuana in the early 90’s.

19. The word “canvas” is derived from the word “cannabis” because canvas used to be made from hemp fiber.

20. The word "yolk" is derived from an Old English word that means "yellow." So egg white and egg yellow.

The word "Swag" originates from the Scandinavian word svagga which refers to a saggy bag and dates back to 200 years.

22. The phrase "log in" is derived from entries made in ships' logs, which are in turn derived from actual logs.

23. The word 'Panic' originated from the Greek god 'Pan', who is often depicted with a large and erect penis. He was known for teaching shepherds how to masturbate.

24. The word 'escalate' was derived from escalator, not the other way around.

25. Mum in the saying "Mum's the word" is a Middle English word, meaning "Silence"; derived from the "mummer" who does pantomime and just acts without saying anything.