Where did the word okay originate from. Where did the Term "OK" Come from? (with pictures) 2022-11-01
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The word "okay" is a common and widely used word in the English language, with a variety of meanings depending on the context in which it is used. But where did this word come from, and how did it become so widely used?
The origin of the word "okay" is somewhat disputed, with several different theories about its origins. One theory is that the word is derived from the Native American Choctaw word "okeh," which means "it is so." This theory is supported by the fact that the word "okay" was first recorded in the United States in the early 19th century, around the time when many Native American words were being adopted into the English language.
Another theory is that the word "okay" is derived from the initials "O.K." These initials were originally used as a shortened form of "oll korrect," which was a humorous way of saying "all correct." This theory is supported by the fact that the word "okay" was first recorded in print in the Boston Morning Post in 1839, where it was used as an abbreviation for "oll korrect."
Regardless of its exact origins, it is clear that the word "okay" has been in use for a long time, and it has become a widely accepted and understood term in the English language. Today, the word "okay" is used to convey a variety of meanings, including approval, acceptance, agreement, and more. It is a versatile and useful word that is used in a wide range of contexts, and it is likely to continue to be a commonly used word for many years to come.
The Hilarious History of 'OK'
It was also the name given to harvest-home, which was the feast which followed the last loads brought in. This does give at least some credence to the idea that OK was at least in familiar use prior to 1840. Is answering OK rude? Retrieved 22 December 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019. Or maybe you've assessed an article as The 1820s and 1830s shared another linguistic fad with today: an appreciation for deliberate misspellings.
Retrieved 13 December 2019. The British Parliament theory The same source as the Cockney theory The Times, in 1939 pointed out that some bills going through the House of Lords had to be read and approved by Lords Onslow and Kilbracken, and they each initialed them - producing the combined initials OK. The Van Buren OK. They used the word to mean Orfully Konfused, or Often Kontradicts, for example. It then crept into technology with the telegram, where it shined with its short form and encompassing meaning. .
Books published in 1593 and 1596 also have OK included, but apparently as nouns. So we should know where it originated from. Some origins of the word okay beg to dig deeper. All his orders were initialled OK. Retrieved 24 March 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2019. Though these variants seem to connect to the word in question, the evidence does not lead to them.
However, my own view is that there are bits of several of the above explanations involved. Retrieved 6 November 2019. The 16th century theories Several claims have been made to have found appearances of OK have in 16th century manuscripts. Liberian has oke, and Burmese has hoakeh, for instance. And, it is hard to say if there is a more American city than Boston. I will leave the reader to come to his or her own conclusions from the above. Others say the term came from African American slaves.
Muskogean is a type of proto language from which other languages are descended. Which is Ghetto lingo for doing the deed. This may have been the case perhaps back as far as the 17th century, but more likely the 18th. Retrieved 27 May 2022. The Old Kinderhook theory Martin van Buren was standing as the Democratic presidential candidate in 1840. And Allen Read Walker discovered that there were further occurences of the word okay or o.
His admirers sometimes referred to him as "Old Keokuk, he's all right", and the initials OK, came to mean the same thing. As OK spread helped along by the advent of the telegraph , its origin story was a topic of much speculation. Yet nobody really knows for sure where it originated. And its origin story is literally a joke. The papers weren't cramped for space, and they'd also print humor, poetry, fiction, and jabs at other newspapers. The multitudinous other theories During 1840, American politicians used the term frequently, and dreamt up many absurd and often pointed origins.
And speaking of "wrong," OK and okay aren't wrong either; they are the dominant forms, though the lowercase ok is also fully established. We employ it to say something is decent, to state a situation is normal, as an acknowledgement of hearing someone, and more. Retrieved 27 May 2022. Yet again, it is possible that these examples crept into American use in small isolated areas at some time prior to 1839. This etymon was suggested in 1885, with Andrew Jackson supposedly having borrowed the word from members of the Choctaw tribe.
The Ship-Builder theory Early ship-builders would mark the timber they prepared, and the first to be laid was marked "OK Number 1", meaning "outer keel No. It would have faded into obscurity if it were not for some of the other appearances in the years that followed. The Schoolmaster theory In a letter in the Vancouver Sun, in 1935, it was pointed out that early schoolmasters would mark examination papers by adding the Latin Omnis Korrecta, which was sometimes abbreviated to OK. Retrieved 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
