What does the "O" and the "K" stand for when we say "O.K."?

Question

I want the spelling not the meaning.

Answer 1

the word is "okay" and it is derived from the saying "oll korrect" ("all correct").

OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren's 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: "frightful letters ... significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, 'all correct' .... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions ... to make all things O.K."

Answer 2

Good question. Here ya go...

How did the term "OK" originate, and do other languages have an equivalent?


According to IdiomSite, a cheery collection of common phrases explained, the origins of "OK" remain a mystery. Strange considering it's a relatively new phrase, only coming into popularity in the mid-1800s.
While no one's sure of the origin of "OK," there are a handful of popular explanations. President Martin Van Buren ran for re-election in 1840 on the "OK" slogan, as his nickname was "Old Kinderhook." Unfortunately, his supporters, the "OK Club," failed to get their man back in the White House.

While Van Buren certainly popularized the phrase, he probably didn't come up with it. The Straight Dope claims the letters come from the phrase "Oll Korrect." The phrase comes from a curious fad for "comical abbreviations" that swept the country in the 1830s and 1840s.

The estimable Oxford Dictionary concurs, while also noting that the term has several foreign equivalents: the Scots "och aye," the Greek "ola kala," the Choctaw Indian "Oke." Word Origins adds that "OK" is the most successful American phrase ever, having spread across the globe by the early 20th century.

Answer 3

oh! oh! i really know this one!! ok (haha i just used it!), well i hope you understand this...

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Many of the abbreviated expressions (long time ago) were exaggerated misspellings, a stock in trade of the humorists of the day. One predecessor (came before) of OK was OW, "oll wright," and there was also KY, "know yuse," KG, "know go," and NS, "nuff said."

Most of these acronyms enjoyed only a brief popularity. But OK was an exception, no doubt because it came in so handy. It first found its way into print in Boston in March of 1839 and soon became widespread among the hipper element.

It didn't really enter the language at large, however, until 1840. That's when Democratic supporters of Martin Van Buren adopted it as the name of their political club, giving OK a double meaning. "Old Kinderhook" was a native of Kinderhook, New York.

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OK was actually a person, who either started or became a very important person of some political party, which they named OK for his nickname, Old Kiderhook.

the way it became so popular is because the press used the abbreviation for the political party as a springboard for mockery. they started making up other possibilities for the abbreviation, see above. it became famous and people started using it, and OKbecame a standard way of saying "allright" or "all good" Get this - a lot of people today still don't know what the real meaning is! well now YOU do!

Answer 4

There's a theory that some of U.S. presidents at the beginning of 19th century was not having enough knowledge in spelling and wanted to write "all correct", but wrote "oll korrekt" instead, in abbrevation "O.K."... and from there it comes.

Answer 5

I read in a science magazine, that back in time, when people came back from fighting wars/battles, they would hang out the number of people killed during that battle. If the "poster said" OK it meant there have been cero people killed (O Killed) which became like an expression for saying that things were fine, or as we call it nowadays, OK.

Answer 6

It's actually "Okay"....so the O & the K don't mean anything special. It's not an abbreviation like most people think. It's an actual word.

Answer 7

Either way you look at it it is from the corruption of the term "Okay" which stems from any of the following:

from the Scots - 'och aye' (yes, indeed)
from Choctaw-Chickasaw, 'okah' (it is indeed)
from Greek, 'ola kala' ( everything is well)
from Finnish, 'oikea' (correct, exact)
from Mandingo, 'O ke', (certainly)

You understand now? OK?

Answer 8

it stands for origins of the word okay like one is Oll Korrect & the greek one is Ola Kala meaning everything's fine.

Answer 9

OK short for Okay, I know it is pretty lazy to abbreviate a four letter word.

Answer 10

the word is spelled "okay". The letters stand for that.

Here, I found this site:
http://grcpublishing.grc.nasa.gov/WordOfWeekArchive/week38.cfm