Let’s talk about this word: Ok!

 

 Let’s talk about this word: Ok!

Etymology is the study of the origin and evolution of words, including their constituent units of sound and meaning, across time.

OK  is allegedly the most popular word in the world. It has been absorbed into countless languages in what scholars argue has been less than 175 years. It is arguably America’s greatest gift to English language expansion and the start of a massive influence of Americanism on the world.

It has been debated that there is no standard spelling. It can be Ok Okay or O.K. All are considered legitimate in editing circles as long as the one chosen is consistent to the piece.

The word "OK" has a disputed origin story with many countries claiming it as their own (as seen below)  but the first documented instance is recorded in the late 1830s in Boston as part of a trend of abbreviating misspellings, OK came from "oll korrect" for "all correct". Other examples were KG for “know go” for “no go”. OW for “Orl Wright” as in “ all right”. The joke is lost on us today but you have to only look at your earlier  Facebook posts to see how often you used LOL or OMG. When you see countless social media posts about Gen Z and Alpha slang explaining words like skibbidy, mid, and delulu. It’s not hard to understand how new words or phrases become part of our lexicon.

Allen Walker Read the linguist who rediscovered OK’s first printed use in the Boston Morning Post back in 1963 hypothesized that the abbreviation gained popularity (and in turn momentum) through a campaign slogan used by supporters of President Martin Van Buren during the 1840 USA election. Van Bruen’s nickname was Old Kinderhook, after his hometown, and he used the slogan “Vote for OK.” This was a perfect storm of syndicated paper stories and national news coverage, basically, much like today's social media and memes. OK had entered the wider consciousness.

 

By World War One it had spread throughout the globe.

Of course, lots of other variables have been put forward, many from different parts of the world with similar sounds and meanings, but none have been proven to be as influential or documented as the origin of the “oll correct” theory. Some of these are, but are not limited to:  English -Opposite of KO "knockout". Scots - och aye ("ah, yes")  Finnish - oikea ("correct") Greek -Initials of Ὅλα Καλά (Ola Kala, "everything is fine")

The word has also proved to be one of the most versatile in the English language by being adaptable as a noun, adverb, and adjective, It can also change its meaning via the volume and length of the speaker (not unlike Chinese) The only word that comes close to this versatility is a certain swear word starting with F.

 

As an adjective, OK principally means "adequate" or "acceptable" as a contrast to "bad" ("The boss approved this, so it is OK to send out"); it can also mean "mediocre" when used in contrast with "good" ("The french fries were great, but the burger was just OK"). It fulfills a similar role as an adverb ("Wow, you did OK for your first time skiing!"). As an interjection, it can denote compliance ("OK, I will do that"),

 or agreement ("OK, that is fine"). It can mean "assent" when it is used as a noun ("the boss gave her the OK to the purchase") or, more colloquially, as a verb ("the boss OKed the purchase"). OK, as an adjective, can express acknowledgement without approval. As a versatile discourse marker or continuer, it can also be used with appropriate intonation to show doubt or to seek confirmation ("OK?", "Is that OK?"). Some of this variation in use and shape of the word is also found in other languages.

This is a table from Wikipedia showing some of the disputed origins from other countries, languages and history.

English	Opposite of KO "knockout"				by 1981
Mandinka	o ke ("that's it", "certainly"; also "do it")	Introduced by West African slaves	by 1815	David Dalby	1969
Wolof	waaw-kay (waaw "yes" + emphatic -kay)	Introduced by West African slaves	by 1815	David Dalby	1969
Scots	och aye ("ah, yes")	Scottish immigrants to North America		"Barbarian"	15 October 1933
Latin	Initials of Omnis Correcta ("all correct"), with the K replacing the C	Used by early schoolmasters marking examination papers			1935
Finnish	oikea ("correct")				July 1940
German	Initials of "Ohne Korrectur" [sic] (German for "No changes")	The term OK was used by typesetters and people working in the publishing business. A manuscript that didn't need any changes or corrections would be marked "O.K." for Ohne Korrectur [sic] (German for "No changes").	c. 1900	Guido Carreras	June 30, 1941
Greek	Initials of Ὅλα Καλά (Ola Kala, "everything is fine")	Used by Greek teachers marking students' work. Prominence of Greek shipping would allow it to be spread by sailors		John Alfred Huybers	1913
French	O qu'oui ("ah, yes")	Emphatic form of "yes"	by 1768	William McDevitt[1]	by 1945
Choctaw	oke, okeh ("it is")	Frontiersman trading with Choctaws borrowed the word directly or via Mobilian Jargon	by 1812	William S. Wyman	August 1885

Originally in BBCN issue 344 July 2025