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1839, only survivor of a slang fad in Boston and New York c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases with deliberate, jocular misspellings (cf. K.G. for "no go," as if spelled "know go"); in this case, "oll korrect." Further popularized by use as an election slogan by the O.K. Club, New York boosters of Democratic president Martin Van Buren's 1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his nickname Old Kinderhook, from his birth in the N.Y. village of Kinderhook. Van Buren lost, the word stuck, in part because it filled a need for a quick way to write an approval on a document, bill, etc.
Terms from various languages that sound similar to 'okay' in English. For example:
from the Scots - 'och aye' (yes, indeed)
from Choctaw-Chickasaw, 'okah' (it is indeed)
from Greek, 'ola kala' ( everything is well)
from Finnish, 'oikea' (correct, exact)
from Mandingo, 'O ke', (certainly)
A shortened version of 'Oll Korrect', used by President Andrew Jackson when initialing papers
'Old Kinderhook' - nickname of President Martin van Buren.
'Aux quais' - the mark put on bales of cotton in Mississippi river ports.
'0 killed' - the report of the night's death toll during the First World War.
'Orl Korrect' - military reporting indicating troops were in good order.
Variant(s): or okay \ō-ˈkā, in assenting or agreeing also ˈō-ˌkā\
Function: adverb or adjective
Etymology: abbreviation of oll korrect, facetious alteration of all correct
Date: 1839
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