Where does the term OK come from?

Question

Ok is an abbreviation of okay, but where did it originate.
I don't want zero kills.
I don't want short form of Oklahoma.
Here's a clue. Think French.

Answer 1

Probably no one knows for sure. One theory I like is that "okay" derives from the Scottish "auch aye", meaning "ah yes".

Here are a number of links that discuss possible origins.

Answer 2

The reason I would doubt the Boston ideas and the "OK club" as being the sole origin is that the phrase was obviously used extensively in Britain at or about the same time and the usage is unlikely to have spread across the Atlantic with such enthusiasm as such localised connections would have held little interest outside of the context of the US.

I certainly think that to describe the word as an "American export" (as I have seen in some places) is rather fanciful. I rather tend towards the opinion also that there might have been more than one source and though the "OK club" popularised the phrase in the States it is more likely that the latin master marking papers Omnia Korektis (spelling?) and the cockney bastardisation to "orl korrekt" is more likely an explnation why it developed in its usage on the British side of the pond.

Answer 3

OK1
(also okay) informal

• exclamation 1 expressing agreement or acquiescence. 2 introducing an utterance.

• adjective 1 satisfactory, but not especially good. 2 permissible.

• adverb in a satisfactory manner or to a satisfactory extent.

• noun an authorization or approval.

• verb (OK’s, OK’d, OK’ing) give approval to.

— ORIGIN probably an abbreviation of orl korrect, humorous form of all correct, popularized as a slogan during President Van Buren’s re-election campaign of 1840 in the US; his nickname Old Kinderhook (derived from his birthplace) provided the initials.




Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary

Answer 4

I believe the term comes from the word Ore Correct.A long years ago it was used to pass components after the Q.C check.Hence,ok means the product has no defects and it is accepted by the quality control dept.

Thanking You

Answer 5

My favourite explanation is that "O.K." is the abbreviation of the Greek expression, "Ola Kala" (Ολα Καλά, ΟΚ). It is a standard expression in Greece that simply means, "Everything's fine".

When you say, "think French", I presume you're referring to "au quai", from French fishermen coming back from their trips and, when approaching the harbour and asked by the harbour master where to tie up their boats, the captain shouting "au quai", meaning "to the quay". Later, when asked how their trip went, they would simply reply "au quai", indicating that their ship had been tied up to the quay to unload a large amount of fish, with the phrase "au quai" becoming synonymous with success and integrated local slang.

Answer 6

There are many different theories of where the word came from but here is a site that has a bunch.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/ok/index.html
and the first time it was used was in 1839 by the boston morning post, not by astronauts

Answer 7

its from a war expression ( 0 killed) after an operation meaning there were no losses
also martin van buren campaign used this the first time as in (vote for old OK) he was from somewhere called Old Ksomething.

Answer 8

It has something to do with the space program and the moon landing. The astronauts used it first. There are many theories as to where it came from .
www.miketodd.net Here it says that it was used long before the astronauts ...so I was mistaken...I always thought it was the astronauts :)

Answer 9

in one of the American wars (not sure which) when dead soldiers where counted, they would chalk up on a board the amount of men killed, eg. 10 K meaning 10 Killed. When no one was killed they wrote 0 K, meaning 0 killed

Answer 10

go to www.askjeeves.com or what i read in a boOK is that the word ok came from a president but i don't remember which one