Where did OK come from?

[videoholic]

Anyone know?

Where did the term OK come from?

it comes from the military.....the would say a.o.k meaning all correcct or something like that, but its been shortened down to ok, but i belioeve the army etc.still use a.o.k

[videoholic]

nope

hmmmmmm ok....i get the feeling it something to do with the romans..dont know y

its a presidential reference

sort of an "i like ike" phrase

The Choctaw theory
In the American Choctaw Indian language, there is a word okeh, which means "it is so". It is likely (although I can find no hard evidence) that this word was used in some American communities in the early 19th century. There is a report that Andrew Jackson, during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, learned of this Choctaw word, liked it, and used it.

Woodrow Wilson also preferred this etymology, and used okeh when he approved official papers. His use led to this particular form being picked up by Okeh Records, "the name of a series of popular phonograph records" [Mencken, 1936] as well as hot-dog stands, shoe-shining parlours and more.

The Andrew Jackson Libel theory
Some time around 1832, Seba Smith was accused of libel in claiming that Andrew Jackson endorsed a pronouncement written by his literary secretary, Amos Kendell, with "OK Amos". The details are not very clear, but it is possible that what was really written was "OR", meaning "Order Recorded". However, one newspaper reporting on the matter, presumably some years later, said that the letters OK had been adopted "as a sort of [Democratic] part cry and [were] fastened upon their banners". This does give at least some credence to the idea that OK was at least in familiar use prior to 1840.

The Wolof theory
Like Choctaw Indian, the Wolof language (spoken in Senegal and The Gambia, formerly The Gold Coast) has something like okeh to mean an emphatic "yes" (it\'s more like waa-key in reality). Wolof has given American English a number of words, perhaps through the African slave trade, such as juke, honky (to mean a white man), hipcat (or hepcat, meaning a jazz enthusiast), jive and even dig (as in "to understand"), although it should be noted that there is nowhere near universal agreement on these! It is likely that okeh appeared in black American spoken slang very early on.

The Other Languages theories
Yet more languages have similar-sounding words for "yes" or "it is so". Liberian has oke, and Burmese has hoakeh, for instance. Yet again, it is possible that these examples crept into American use in small isolated areas at some time prior to 1839.

The Indian Chief theory
Keokuk was an Indian chief (after whom Keokuk, in Iowa, is named). His admirers sometimes referred to him as "Old Keokuk, he\'s all right", and the initials OK, came to mean the same thing.

The orl korrect theory
The Internet fashion for condensing phrases into abbreviation certainly not new! The 1830s saw a rise of quirky abbreviations for common phrases, which for some reason seems to have been particularly popular in Boston. ISBD was used to mean "it shall be done", RTBS for "it remains to be seen and SP for "small potatoes". It went further, with KY used to mean "no use" (know yuse) and an article in the March 23rd, 1839, edition of the Boston Morning Post, saw this produce OK, short for "all correct" (orl korrect). This is the earliest published appearance of OK that has so far been found.

The Richardson theory
William Richardson recorded his journey from Boston to New Orleans in his 1815 diary. Transcriptions of the diary show "Arrived at Princeton, a handsome little village, o.k. and at Trenton where we dined at 1p.m." - however, although in some places it is proposed that this showed the use of the expression in 1815, the original manuscript shows that this was as part of some alterations that may have been added by Richardson (or someone else), possibly even after 1840 when the term had come into common use. Another possibility is that the writing is of a.h., referring to "a handsome", but there are many objections to this theory.

The 16th century theories
Several claims have been made to have found appearances of OK have in 16th century manuscripts. In one instance Notes & Queries (1911) points out that the will of Thomas Cumberland in 1565 is shown to use OK. But more careful scrutiny shows that this is more likely to have been the initials of the scrivener.

Books published in 1593 and 1596 also have OK included, but apparently as nouns. The text of one ("Have with You to Saffron-Walden", by Thomas Nashe, the British author) goes "Martin is Guerra, Brown a brone-bill, & Barrow a wheelbarrow; Ket a knight, H.N. [referring to Henry Nichols] an O.K." As Mencken states in his supplement to The American Language, "the meaning here is unfathomable".

The Old Kinderhook theory
Martin van Buren was standing as the Democratic presidential candidate in 1840. He had acquired the nickname of Old Kinderhook (he was born in Kinderhook, New York). On March 24, 1840 the Democrats opened the OK Club in Grand Street, New York City, based on the initials of van Buren\'s nickname.

The expression OK soon became the watchword of this club, and in that same year, a Democratic newspaper equated the initials with the strivings of the party to "make all things OK".

The ****ney Orl Korrec theory
The Times, in 1939, had an article reporting that it was of ****ney origin. The author remembered its use as an abbreviation for "Orl korrec" when he was a boy in the late 19th century. However, this post-dates its first appearance by many years.

The French theory
During the American War of Independence, French sailors made "appointments" with American girls aux quais (meaning when they were berthed at the quayside). This theory was put forward by Britain\'s Daily Express newspaper in 1940.

The Finish theory
The Fins have a word for correct, and it is oikea. Someone at the Cleveland Public Library suggested this may be the origin, in an article in 1940.

The British Parliament theory
The same source as the ****ney 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 Anglo-Saxon theory
Several centuries before its first appearance, Norwegian and Danish sailors used an Anglo-Saxon word, hogfor, which meant ready for sea. This was frequently shortened to HG, which in turn would have been pronounced hag-gay.

The Literary theory
Laurence Sterne was a British author of the 18th century, and in his book A Sentimental Journey, published in 1768, he uses the emphatic French form of yes: O qu-oui. In an anglicised pronunciation (oh-key), the phrase was used by some to express affirmation.

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.

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. 1".

The Telegraph theory
Early telegraph operators abbreviated everything, to reduce the amount of work needed. They would use GM for "Good Morning", GA for "Go Ahead" and so on. In 1935, Tatler, in the Observer, suggests that they also used OK. This doesn\'t stand up at all, as the telegraph post-dated the first written occurrence and it is almost certain, in my view, that they adopted OK rather than inventing it.

The Scottish theory
We\'ve all heard the Scottish expression, och-aye. An author in the Nottingham Journal in 1943 suggests that OK is simply an adaptation of this expression. The Scottish expression derives from och, meaning an exclamation of surprise and aye meaning yes, and has been in existence since perhaps the 16th century.

The Old English theory
In early England, the last harvest loads brought in from the fields were known as hoacky or horkey. It was also the name given to harvest-home, which was the feast which followed the last loads brought in. The satisfactory completion of harvest was therefore known as hoacky, which was soon (at least according to an article in the Daily Telegraph in 1935) shortened to OK.

The Prussian theory
The Times printed a suggestion that the Prussian general, Schliessen (fighting for the American colonies during the War of Independence) was properly given the title Oberst Kommandant. All his orders were initialled OK.

The Greek theory
Probably the earliest suggestion comes from the Greek. The two Greek letters omega and khi appear in a work called Geoponica in 920AD as being a magical incantation (when repeated twice) against fleas!

The Railway theory
Obediah Kelly was an early railway freighter. He is known to have signed bills of lading with his initials, OK, and in railway circles OK came to mean that something had been authorised.

The War-Department (or cracker) theory
During the Civil War, the US War Department bought supplies of crackers from a company called Orrins-Kendall. Their initials appeared on the boxes, and as the crackers were of a particularly high standard, the letters OK became synonymous with "all right". This theory was originally put forward in a publication called Linguist, from the Horace Mann School for Boys in New York, although it has subsequently appeared in a number of other publications.

The multitudinous other theories
During 1840, American politicians used the term frequently, and dreamt up many absurd (and often pointed) origins. Out of Kash, out of kredit, out of klothes, all became identified with van Buren\'s campaign. And on the floor of the House of Representatives, a congressman from Illinois suggested it meant Orful Kalamity.

Well, that seems to sum it up pretty well. umm...next topic please!

[videoholic]

Well here is what I was always told:

During one of the World wars, someone used to put up a list of soldiers killed each day--10 killed Monday, 12 killed Tuesday and then they shortened it to 11 K Wednesday, 9 K Thursday.  On days when no one was killed (0 zero k) it became a good thing and thus the phrase OK came to be.

[nO-One]

Originally posted by Videoholic
On days when no one was killed it became a good thing

hey

Why oh why do you folks continue to repeat discredited theories about the origin of OK?  Let our only god of useless knowledge, CECIL ADAMS direct us to the path of enlightenment throught the STRAIGHT DOPE:  (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_250.html)

Dear Cecil:

This question seems like such an obvious candidate for your column that someone must have asked it before. But on the chance no one has, here goes: what does "OK" stand for, and where does the expression come from? I\'ve heard a lot of different explanations over the years. --Norm, Chicago

Dear Norm:

Yeah, and it\'s about time I got things cleared up. Despite the fact that the origin of OK was conclusively established 30 years ago, few etymological dictionaries, even recent ones, give it accurately. On the contrary, some persist in giving equal time to explanations that have been discredited for decades.

Eric Partridge, in Origins (1983), says OK derives from the OK Club, which supported Martin "Old Kinderhook" Van Buren in 1840. That isn\'t wrong, but it\'s only half the story.

William and Mary Morris, in the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins (1977), mention the OK Club and give several other theories as well, including the off-the-wall idea that OK comes from "Aux Cayes," a port in Haiti noted for its rum. They imply the matter is still shrouded in mystery.

Baloney. The etymology of OK was masterfully explained by the distinguished Columbia University professor Allen Walker Read in a series of articles in the journal American Speech in 1963 and 1964.

The letters, not to keep you guessing, stand for "oll korrect." They\'re the result of a fad for comical abbreviations that flourished in the late 1830s and 1840s.

Read buttressed his arguments with hundreds of citations from newspapers and other documents of the period. As far as I know his work has never been successfully challenged.

The abbreviation fad began in Boston in the summer of 1838 and spread to New York and New Orleans in 1839. The Boston newspapers began referring satirically to the local swells as OFM, "our first men," and used expressions like NG, "no go," GT, "gone to Texas," and SP, "small potatoes."

Many of the abbreviated expressions were exaggerated misspellings, a stock in trade of the humorists of the day. One predecessor 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.)

OK became the warcry of Tammany hooligans in New York while beating up their opponents. It was mentioned in newspaper stories around the country.

Van Buren\'s opponents tried to turn the phrase against him, saying that it had originated with Van Buren\'s allegedly illiterate predecessor, Andrew Jackson, a story that has survived to this day. They also devoted considerable energy to coming up with unflattering interpretations, e.g., "Out of Kash, Out of Kredit, and Out of Klothes."

Newspaper editors and publicists around the country delighted in coming up with even sillier interpretations-- Oll Killed, Orfully Konfused, Often Kontradicts, etc.--so that by the time the campaign was over the expression had taken firm root nationwide.

As time went on, though, people forgot about the abbreviation fad and Old Kinderhook and began manufacturing their own etymologies. Here\'s a sampling:

(1) It\'s a derivative of the Choctaw Indian affirmative "okeh." Andrew Jackson, who figures in many stories about OK, is said to have introduced the word to the white man.

(2) Another Jackson story has it that he used to mark OK for "oll korrect" on court documents. In the one example of this that was actually unearthed, however, the OK was found actually to be OR, for "order recorded," a common courthouse abbreviation.

(3) It was a telegraphic signal meaning "open key," that is, ready to receive. Others say OK was used for "all right" because A and R had already been appropriated for other purposes. Big problem with this theory: the first telegraph message was transmitted in 1844, five years after OK appeared.

(4) It stands for O. Kendall & Sons, a supplier of army biscuits that stamped its initials on its product.

(5) It comes from Aux Cayes, already discussed. A variant is that it comes from the French au quai, "to the dock," said of cotton that had been approved for loading on a ship.

(6) It stands for Obediah Kelly, a railroad freight agent, who used to mark his initials on documents to indicate all was in order.

(7) It comes from the Greek Olla Kalla, "all good."

(8) A German general who fought on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War used to sign documents OK for Ober-Kommando.

There are dozens of other interpretations, all equally knuckleheaded. Pay them no mind. If Professor Read says OK = oll korrect, that\'s good enough for me.

--CECIL ADAMS

ummm ok

well i could care less where it came from and il think i just be happy its there to use

that or okay - which i think ok came from if you ask me

There is only one man alive who would know the answer to this one

Its Cliffy form Cheers. Little known facts are his specialty

My goodness..... This thread certainly became a dictionary...

Okay sounds like the letters "O" & "K", so eventually people just started righting O.K. instead of "okay". Then the periods got dropped resulting in Ok. That\'s my theory. Simple, easy, and I like it.

I heard it was a baker or something and people would ask how the food is coming and he would do the OK hand sign and it looks like the letters O and K, so ok meant good.


Thats what I have heard.


Eric Jacob