OK (expression)

Etymology

In spite of many popular etymologies, the origin of this term does not make any more debate. First attested occurrence date of 1839 in the Boston Morning Post like abbreviation of " Oll Korrect" , graphic deterioration of all correct , version familiar of the time of the all right (all is well, all is well) British. The term was then used by partisans of Martin Van Buren, was elected with the presidency of the U.S.A. in 1840, and was called Old Kinderhook (the old man of Kinderhook) of the name of its native village. A club of support was created in New York under the name of “O.K. Club” (March 23rd, 1840).

The history of this term was the publication object of A.W. Read in The Saturday Review off Literature of June 10th, 1941, study which is disputed by no specialist (it is in particular quoted by Alain Rey in historical Dictionnaire of the French language ).

For more details, lira the article detailed in English: .

Popular etymologies

The popularity of the expression O.K. causes many popular etymologies, rebuildings a posteriori which do not rest on any attested reference. These intellectual speculations raise more of these contemporary rumors that one names urban legends. Here is an anthology…

Formerly, following a naval battle, the British sailors registered on the hull of the boats the number of tués.
Pour 3 died, they registered 3K, wanting to say “ 3 killed ”. And when there was no death, they registered OK for “ 0 killed ”. One includes/understands then why that wants to say “ now; All goes bien. ”

O.K. would come from the American Civil War, where the Southerner S, after a battle, announced the number of deaths. When there was not, one announced “ 0 killed ”, therefore “ OK, all goes bien ” (in the Anglo-Saxon world, the zero are often expressed in an oral way like the letter “ O ”, for example when one gives a phone number).

O.K. would come from the modern Greek OLA KALA, an expression used by the Greek sailors and also by the Greek platelayers in the United States, which affixed the two famous letters on the rails installed correctly meaning: all is well, good…

Some claim that it comes from the time of the Colonisation S and the Esclavagisme among French: once the slaves were charged, them “ chef said” to them “; with the quai ” so that they bring their loading on the quay. The expression would then have derived.

an American head of undertaking, named Otto Kaiser, examined each parcel before its expédition in the event of agreement, it put its initial at it: O.K

Variante of the preceding one, another explanation would be that OK indicated the initial ones of the foreman controlling the quality of the vehicles in " bout" production line of the factories Ford of Strait. It would then have applied its initial O.K. to the certificates of control of the vehicles, validating the quality of the product consequently.

the word “Okay” would come from an anecdote between Lafayette and Washington: At the time of a conversation between the two officers, Lafayette would have had suddenly the " hoquet" , Washington would have worried some, then Lafayette tells him " it is nothing, all is well it is the hoquet! " Washington would have deduced from it that when all was well it was “Okay” (hoquet) and this word would have made its way until our days.

Simple: OK

Random links: