Where does the word okay originate from?

Barrow boy

OK was apparently first used in print in the Boston Morning Post on March 23rd, 1839. It was apparently meant to represent 'Orl Korrekt' - during the late 1830s there had been a brief but widespread craze in the US for humorous misspellings. OK appears to have taken off in popularity the following year during the presidential election {campaign;} Martin van Buren's nickname of 'Old Kinderhook' was shortened to OK. The Oxford English Dictionary, a publication I have much faith in, endorses this as the most probable explanation. http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwordorigins/ok The following site has a similar explanation. http://www.m-w.com/whist/ok.htm Whilst there is a Choctaw word 'okeh' I personally feel that this is not the origin - the good Choctaw people have never managed to get any other word incorporated into the English language!! Aug 15 02, 8:46 PM

Anouck

Old Kinderhook was a presidential nickname, as Barrow Boy said, and when his signature was needed he intialed it O.K. Soon enough, his secretaries who ask him to OK something and the phrase spread. Aug 19 02, 3:51 PM

jeddy3

I always believed that OK actually was a acronym for 'Zero Kills' from the Battle of Britain in WWII. When the ally pilots landed they would indicate with the 'OK' hand gesture we know today that there were no ally casualties. Hence everything is OK. Aug 29 02, 8:26 PM