The Legends of the Word OK
Created | Updated Mar 18, 2002
Every day people use the word OK. But where did it come from? In truth, no one really knows for sure. There are several different theories as to where it originally came from.
The theory that is widely recognised by most dictionaries is that OK is an abbreviation for “oll korrect.” This is a humorous play on the words “all correct.” In the early nineteenth century, newspapers did not just feature serious news; it had lots of humour and fiction. Humourists liked to deliberately misspell words. For example, they would spell words like “no” as “know.” It was also a fad back then to use abbreviations. So a misspelled “oll wright(all right)” could become OW. And the first known printing of the word OK was in the Boston Morning Post on the 23rd of March, 1839, in this context: "he of the Journal, and his train-band, would have the 'contributions box,' et ceteras, o.k.--all correct--and cause the corks to fly." And thus, it is assumed that OK was a play on the words “all correct.”
The term OK was only popular for a while. Eventually it disappeared. But it was later revived when the Democrats in New York sponsored their candidate, Martin Van Buren. Because Buren was from Kinderhook, New York, his nickname was Old Kinderhook, which was abbreviated OK. They started a Democratic OK Club and used the term OK as a kind of catch phrase.
Another theory that surrounds OK is that Andrew Jackson used it to approve of legal documents. Jackson was not a good speller and “ole korreck” was supposedly how Jackson spelled “all correct.” When journalists heard about this, they wrote many stories about it in the newspapers. This is how OK, Andrew Jackson, and “all correct” became fixed in American Folklore.
The term OK was used many, many times in newspapers, until the real origins of the word were forgotten, except the Andrew Jackson tale. In the newspapers people would send in what they thought the origin of OK was. Even words in other languages were suggested. One of the more popular suggestions was that OK came from the Choctaw word "okeh." The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) says that "okeh" means "it is" and that it may have come from the French words "au quai", or from the West African language Wolof via slaves from the southern states.
There are several other stories regarding OK. One was that a painter named Oscar Kokoschka signed his work with a large "OK." Another is that it is an inversion of KO-knock out. Also, it was rumoured to be used in the Civil War; standing for "zero kills." Or perhaps it was used in the nineteenth century for telegraphic communication, supposedly standing for "Open Key."
A more recent legend is that a man in a Ford car factory, named Oscar Kolle, that had the job of making sure all the parts being manufactured were good. If the item passed his "quality assurance" test, then he would put his initals, OK, on the part.
And so, as the years went on, and people used OK more and more often, its true origin shrank back into the fog of time once more. Maybe one day the origin will be found. Or maybe not. Only time will tell.
The theory that is widely recognised by most dictionaries is that OK is an abbreviation for “oll korrect.” This is a humorous play on the words “all correct.” In the early nineteenth century, newspapers did not just feature serious news; it had lots of humour and fiction. Humourists liked to deliberately misspell words. For example, they would spell words like “no” as “know.” It was also a fad back then to use abbreviations. So a misspelled “oll wright(all right)” could become OW. And the first known printing of the word OK was in the Boston Morning Post on the 23rd of March, 1839, in this context: "he of the Journal, and his train-band, would have the 'contributions box,' et ceteras, o.k.--all correct--and cause the corks to fly." And thus, it is assumed that OK was a play on the words “all correct.”
The term OK was only popular for a while. Eventually it disappeared. But it was later revived when the Democrats in New York sponsored their candidate, Martin Van Buren. Because Buren was from Kinderhook, New York, his nickname was Old Kinderhook, which was abbreviated OK. They started a Democratic OK Club and used the term OK as a kind of catch phrase.
Another theory that surrounds OK is that Andrew Jackson used it to approve of legal documents. Jackson was not a good speller and “ole korreck” was supposedly how Jackson spelled “all correct.” When journalists heard about this, they wrote many stories about it in the newspapers. This is how OK, Andrew Jackson, and “all correct” became fixed in American Folklore.
The term OK was used many, many times in newspapers, until the real origins of the word were forgotten, except the Andrew Jackson tale. In the newspapers people would send in what they thought the origin of OK was. Even words in other languages were suggested. One of the more popular suggestions was that OK came from the Choctaw word "okeh." The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) says that "okeh" means "it is" and that it may have come from the French words "au quai", or from the West African language Wolof via slaves from the southern states.
There are several other stories regarding OK. One was that a painter named Oscar Kokoschka signed his work with a large "OK." Another is that it is an inversion of KO-knock out. Also, it was rumoured to be used in the Civil War; standing for "zero kills." Or perhaps it was used in the nineteenth century for telegraphic communication, supposedly standing for "Open Key."
A more recent legend is that a man in a Ford car factory, named Oscar Kolle, that had the job of making sure all the parts being manufactured were good. If the item passed his "quality assurance" test, then he would put his initals, OK, on the part.
And so, as the years went on, and people used OK more and more often, its true origin shrank back into the fog of time once more. Maybe one day the origin will be found. Or maybe not. Only time will tell.
