To the layperson, language and words are simply tools for communication. But they really go deeper than that.

Hundreds or thousands of years ago, words didn't mean the same thing they mean now. They've evolved with the times - some, into words that appear far from what they started off as, and some, a extended form of their origins.

In this video, John Green of Mental Floss explores the origins of 40 English words in "40 Weird Word Origins."